Forgiveness
by Jenny11
Summary: AU A recently rescued mutant named Rogue can't deal with her memories and the X-Men's Wolverine can't remember his. How are they connected? Who's responsible? Please R & R FINISHED!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Forgiveness  
  
Author: Jenny11  
  
Disclaimer: Characters and some lines are property of Marvel. Not me.  
  
Archive Rights: I'm flattered, just ask.  
  
Feedback: I'll love you forever. Could also mean advance snippets between long updates.  
  
Rating: R  
  
Notes: Alternate Universe. Elements of comics, cartoon, and movies.  
  


"The drama! The romance! WAAAHHH!! The excitement!" Mojo shrieked again, spinning around on his spider-like mechanical legs. The fat yellow blob of a mutant grinned like the madman he was as he surveyed the hundreds of television screens surrounding him. Each one depicted one of his numerous mutant prisoners in all sorts of reality-based, live action, and involuntary productions. One screen in particular held Mojo's attention. It depicted a typical talk show setup, with cameramen and technicians all scurrying around in preparation for going on the air. Mojo squealed with glee. 

"Almost ready, Roguey Roo!" he screeched happily into an intercom. "Get ready for today's performance!" 

He scuttled over to another wall and stared. A small security camera on this wall provided a window into a small room. Inside, a woman in a black bodysuit was curled up in a corner, her white streaked brown hair falling over her arm and almost brushing the floor. At the sound of Mojo's screeching voice, she raised her head. Turning her eyes to the far side of her little room, she spotted a group of three mutants. They were huddled together, each one trying to stay as far away from her as they could. Almost mechanically, the woman stood up and moved towards the other mutants. There was a small struggle as they tried to fight her, but they were no match for the woman's quick reflexes and powerful punches. A few moments later, the mutant with the white streak in her hair bent down and brushed her hand against the faces of the mutants she had subdued.

"Five years and counting!" Mojo shouted exuberantly. "Stick with me, babe, we are going places!" He turned back to his intercom. "Guards! Get Rogue to the set! We go on in five!"

Suddenly, the picture on several televisions went fuzzy, static buzzing loudly as the connection was lost. Mojo's eyes, held open by wires that stretched his eyelids away from his eyeballs, bulged even more as they rolled in their sockets.

"What's this?" he asked in disbelief. Scuttling over to the defective monitors, he experimentally tapped one of the screens. The picture winked out altogether. Mojo's jaw fell open, comically.

"My picture!" he screeched, clenching his hands together. "My ratings! My POWER! AAARRRGGGHHHH!" Mojo began spinning around the room, his metal scorpion-like tail firing energy blasts into the damaged screens.

Out of the blue, a ruby red beam of energy fired over Mojo's shoulder, hitting one of the working monitors, which exploded in a rain of glass and metal. Mojo froze.

"Wwwhhhaaaaatttt?" he asked slowly, a dangerously hysterical note drawing out the word as he turned to face the intruder.

A tall man with brown hair stood in the doorway. His body was tensed in preparation for a fight, one hand held up to the side of the ruby red visor that covered his eyes. A woman stood by his side, her fiery red hair tumbling freely down her back. Her eyes never left Mojo as she waited for his next move.

"It's over, Mojo," Cyclops said grimly. "Turn off the broadcast."

Mojo put a hand to his chest in mock indignation, his long yellow fingers curving to show off his claws.

"Are you talking to . . . me?" he asked comically. His open eyes bored into Cyclops, seeming to see right through the visor.

Jean watched Mojo's intense gaze and reached out to put a hand on Cyclops' shoulder.

"Your mind control won't help you now, Mojo," she said evenly. "My shields are more than a match for you any day."

Mojo's mouth twitched in repressed fury. Then all at once he let out a bloodcurdling scream and began to fire on Cyclops and Jean. His wild blasts missed them repeatedly as Jean and Cyclops just stood there, their calm demeanor spurring Mojo into increased levels of fury. Screaming hysterically, he used his immense strength to begin pulling televisions out of the wall and throwing them at the offending X-Men. The sudden loss of the power outlets disrupted the buildings power grid, the lights flickering as the building's power shut down. Cyclops smiled into the dark. Behind him, two figures entered under the cover of darkness.

"My televisions! My ratings! What will my audience do now?!" Mojo gasped. "They might start to READ! I'll lose my audience to a bunch of DEAD TREES!!" he sobbed.

"Maybe you'll have better luck in another dimension," a deep female voice suggested.

"Spiral!" Mojo squeaked. "What are you doing? This isn't in your script!"

"There's been a rewrite," spoke up another voice. This one was male and Mojo froze as a familiar yellow flash gave away the man's identity. 

"Longshot!" he growled. Suddenly, Mojo plastered on a huge fake smile, the darkness hiding his sharp teeth. "Longshot! Babe! Let's talk. Picture this: Your own show! New costume, new co-stars, same pay, or course . . ."

Longshot shook his head as Spiral's eyes began to glow. Slowly, she began to dance around the room, her six arms weaving intricate patterns in the air. A portal opened up behind Mojo, sucking the bulbous mutant through, screaming all the way.

As the last of Mojo's screams died away, Longshot turned to the X-Men. Finding a match in his pocket he lit a candle.

"Where did you find a candle?" Cyclops asked in amusement.

Longshot grinned. "Just happened to find it lying around. Lucky, huh?"

Jean smiled, nodding. "Thanks for being around, Longshot. I'm just glad one of your mutant abilities is dumb luck. It kept Mojo from hitting us with anything he threw and it was nice not to have to hold up a force field."

"Thank you for helping me free my people," Longshot returned graciously. Nodding to the X-Men in farewell, he offered his arm to Spiral.

"Ready to face the masses?"

***

Colossus hit the door to the last of the chambers hard, bursting into the room. Immediately taking on a battle stance, he prepared himself for the rush of mutants he'd met in every room before this. To his surprise, this room only held one mutant. Well, in a manner of speaking.

Colossus stared in amazement as the woman in the middle of the room argued animatedly – with herself. Her skin seemed to shift into a layer of green scales, then again to a smooth blue shade. Colossus' mouth fell open as he watched the mutant fire sparks out of her hands, and a few seconds later rise off the ground in flight. It was like watching a circus of various mutants taking place in one body. After a few moments of staring, Colossus took a cautious step forward, trying not to startle her. The woman shook her head, continuing to mumble. Her body trembled and suddenly Colossus was looking at a beautiful woman, with long wavy brown hair, streaked with white. Her body was covered in a plain black lycra suit that stretched from her neck to her ankles. Black boots completed the outfit, leaving only her hands and face bare. Suddenly, the lights flickered and went out. In the dim light coming from the moonlight shining through the windows, Colossus saw the woman drop out of the air and collapse into a heap on the floor.

It was like someone had flipped a switch and simply turned her off. Hearing an explosion in the background, Colossus realized that there was no time to ponder the situation any more. Running over to the fallen mutant, he scooped her up in his arms and ran out of the room with her, towards the waiting Blackbird.

***

The evening was quiet and peaceful. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves on the trees around the X-Mansion. After the heat of battle, the silence was most welcome.

Wolverine rolled his neck slowly, the satisfying pops that resulted making him sigh. Leaning back on the porch swing, he raised his beer to his lips, letting the amber fluid flood his mouth. His cigar smoldered softly in the ashtray beside him, the noxious fumes rising up into the atmosphere. None of the other X-Men tolerated his smoking inside the mansion, but that suited Wolverine just fine. He'd always been more of an outdoors man anyway. For a moment, he reflected that it was too bad Longshot hadn't had time to return to the X-Mansion. The renegade mutant was always good for a night of boozing it up, his mutant luck allowing him to avoid hangovers just as Wolverine's healing ability kept him from getting them. Still, Wolverine knew Longshot had a lot of work ahead of him. Freeing his world from Mojo's reign would not be so easy. The X-Men had been more than willing to help destroy Mojo's base, but the Canadian mutant knew that one battle didn't win a war.

Wolverine paused for a moment, letting his supersensitive hearing listen for any sounds of movement. He knew Jean was still down in the med lab with the woman they'd rescued from Mojo. Apparently, the X-Men had been just in time to stop her show from airing. Mojo had been about to put her on the air when they'd destroyed his complex. All the other prisoners were able to escape with Spiral and Longshot, with only the mutant with the white streak in her hair being too weak to leave. Wolverine took another drag off his cigar as he pondered the description Colossus had given them of what he'd seen when he found her. He had to admit, even he was curious as to what the woman's powers were.

Suddenly, his ears picked up the sound of footsteps. Looking through the sliding glass door into the kitchen, Wolverine watched as Jean entered the room. He stubbed out his cigar as he watched her take a glass from the cupboard and pour herself some water. Moving silently, he slid the door open and crept into the room.

"Hello, Wolverine," Jean said tiredly, not bothering to turn around.

Wolverine straightened up. He always forgot how pointless it was to sneak up on a telepath. 

"Hey, Jeannie," he said casually. He took a seat at the counter and motioned for her to join him. Wolverine was just about to make one of his usual flirtatious comments when he saw the expression on Jean's face. His mouth clamped shut as he waited for her to sit down. A few minutes went by in silence. Wolverine could see that Jean was exhausted, so he waited patiently for her to speak.

"It never gets easier," Jean said finally, rubbing her fingers over the space between her eyes. "I keep hoping . . ." her voice choked a little.

"Take your time," Wolverine said quietly.

Jean nodded and took a deep breath. After a moment, she continued.

"Scott and I overheard Mojo talking about her when we came in. He called her "Rogue," the same name Colossus saw on the door of the room he found her in. Mojo held her prisoner for five years. Five. Years. The entire time she was there, he kept her collared like a dog." She looked at Wolverine. "Wolverine, he kept her powers on."

Wolverine frowned. "What do you mean he kept them 'on'? Why would anyone want their prisoner to have constant access to her powers?"

Jean shook her head. "I don't know, Wolverine. I don't even know what her powers are." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I've been running tests on her ever since we got back and I'm no closer now than I was three hours ago. I don't want to run any truly invasive tests on her just yet. She's been through so much, I don't have the heart."

"Can't you scan her mind?" Wolverine asked grudgingly. He was not a big fan of telepaths rummaging around in other people's head, but in this case he figured it might be necessary.

"I can't. Her mind is practically impervious to psychic probes. Maybe the Professor could do it, with Cerebro's help, but for now, Rogue's mind is too complicated for me to get a read on her."

"Complicated?" Wolverine asked suspiciously. 

Jean nodded. "Her head has so many thoughts and memories fighting for a place, I can't tell which ones are real, which ones are fake, or even which ones are hers."

"Could she be a telepath? Maybe all those extra voices and shit are just thoughts she's pickin' up from other people," Wolverine suggested.

"Or she could be schizophrenic," Jean countered. "We won't know until she wakes up."

She stood up, stretching her tired muscles. "I'm going to bed, Wolverine. I'm sure Cyclops will want the whole team updated tomorrow."

Wolverine nodded, lost in thought. "Night, Jeannie."

***

Deep in the basement of the X-Mansion, all was silent. The only sounds were the beeping of the computerized monitors attached to a young mutant in the med lab. A dim light remained lit inside the room, a precaution meant to keep a patient from panicking should they wake up at some point during the night. As the soft glow cast shadows over the sleeping mutant, the machines beside her began to beep loudly. Wild readings began to spew from the computer monitoring her brain waves. As if in a dream, the mutant sat up. Her eyes opened slowly and she shook her head, as if to shake of the remnants of sleep. Groggily, the mutant swung her legs over the side of the bed, detaching the numerous wires that connected her to the machine. Almost mechanically, she moved forward towards the door, fumbling around with the various buttons until she found the one that would open the exit. As the door swished open, the mutant Mojo had referred to as "Rogue" stumbled out into the hallway. A deep sense of lethargy slowed her movements, making her progress sluggish. It seemed to take her forever to reach the elevator. As she leaned against the side, Rogue clumsily swiped at one of the buttons, finally managing to close the door and hit the button for the second floor.

Green eyes watched in a daze as the numbers progressed. It seemed to take forever as the elevator inched up past the underground levels. By the time the doors opened on the second floor, the mutant was starting to feel what little energy she had draining away. Straining to keep going, she looked out of the elevator at a long hallway lined with doors. Taking a deep breath, Rogue threw her weight into her stride and walked up to the closest door. Opening it as quietly as she could manage, her sensitive eyesight fell on a sleeping figure in a bed ten feet away. Hope blossomed in her mind as she forced herself to walk quietly towards the bed. Reaching out her bare hand, she laid it on the face of the young woman sleeping in the bed. When nothing happened at first, Rogue frowned. Closing her eyes, she concentrated as hard as she could. Finally, she felt a connection open and the other mutant's energy began trickle into her. 

Suddenly, the girl shot bolt upright in bed. When her eyes landed on Rogue she screamed, her body phasing through the bed to the floor below. A few feet away her roommate woke up. Before Rogue could react, the other girl raised her hands and multicolored sparks exploded in front of her eyes. Still to weak to put up a fight, Rogue collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

Jubilee watched her fall. Keeping her hands up in preparation to fire another round of fireworks if necessary, she moved of her bed and walked around to where Rogue was lying. She could hear movement downstairs and she knew Kitty had gone for help.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Cyclops and Jean rushed into the room, both of them dressed in their pajamas. Cyclops was bare chested, with only his boxers on, while Jean wore a deep green nightgown. Cyclops took one look at Jubilee in her skimpy bed clothes and promptly turned bright red. Trying to cover his embarrassment, Cyclops kept his eyes on Rogue.

"What happened, Jubilee?" he asked sharply.

Jubilee smirked at his discomfort and deliberately crossed her arms in front of her chest, pushing her breasts up and out. 

"This chica, here, attacked Kitty," she replied. "I woke up when Kitty screamed just in time to see Kitty phase through the bed and the floor. Then that woman looked at me and I blasted her."

Kitty crept into the room behind Jean. "It's true, Mr. Summers. I woke up and that lady was touching my face." She shivered. "It felt really weird. Like she was trying to pull me into her."

Jean turned and put an arm around Kitty. "You're all right now, Kit. How do you feel?"

"Just a little dizzy," Kitty admitted. She pulled away from Jean. "What now?"

"Now, you two go back to sleep. Jean and I will move Rogue back into the med lab. And this time," he added, "we'll make sure she stays there."

"Rogue, huh?" Jubilee repeated, thoughtfully.

Cyclops ignored her and moved to pick up the unconscious mutant. 

"Scott, wait," Jean stopped him. Cyclops looked at her questioningly.

"If she wakes up, she may try the same thing on you," Jean explained.

"How do you propose we get her down to the med lab?" Scott asked.

In response, Jean used her telekinesis to lift Rogue's body from the floor. Walking with her TK bubble in front of her, she headed down to the med lab, her husband following close behind her.

As they closed the door behind them, Kitty turned to look at Jubilee.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.

Jubilee smirked. "Shame the man's married?"

Kitty rolled her eyes.

"No, oh Hormonal One." She looked at their closed door. "I'm thinking things are going to get pretty interesting around here."

Jubilee shrugged and got back into bed.

"Yeah. A school full of mutant children learning to control their powers can get pretty old, I guess," she said sarcastically. "Thank goodness things are going to get interesting."

***

The next morning, a group of concerned X-Men were summoned to Xavier's office to confront a bleary-eyed Jean and a very tense Cyclops. Taking their seats, the X-Men didn't have long to wait before Xavier began to speak.

"First off, I would like to address the commotion you all heard last night." He took a deep breath. "Our guest, the mutant Mojo called "Rogue," left the med lab and entered one of the rooms in the girls' dormitory wing." He held up a hand to stop the expected questions. "No one was seriously hurt. Apparently, Rogue attempted to use her power on Kitty. Luckily, Kitty and Jubilee woke up. Kitty was able to get out and get Jean and Scott while Jubilee subdued Rogue. Rogue is now restrained back in the med bay." 

"Is Kitty hurt?" Colossus asked, concerned for the young mutant whom he'd come to consider a little sister.

Xavier shook his head. "Kitty is fine, Piotr."

"What exactly did Rogue do to her?" Wolverine asked, frowning.

"We're not positive, Wolverine, but it seems as though Rogue's ability is to absorb the energy from others," Jean answered. "Last night she must have regained consciousness and gone looking for someone to drain energy from. Luckily, in her weakened state, she was unable to fully use her powers. Kitty felt a little dizzy but otherwise she was perfectly fine."

She was quiet for a moment, letting the X-Men digest the information they'd been given. Just as she'd expected, Cyclops was the first to speak.

"I don't like it. Rogue is obviously dangerous, and we have a school full of children to consider," he insisted.

"Scott, I am loathe to turn away a mutant so obviously in need of help," Xavier chastised him gently. "We must consider the possibility that Rogue did not mean any harm. How are we to know what would happen to her if she did not take the energy of another? Perhaps that collar Mojo put on her to keep her powers on has made her dependent on the energy of others for her very survival."

"So what do you propose we do, Professor?" Scott asked, finally.

"I am going to go down and see what else I can learn about our new guest. Until further notice, I want all of you to keep the students out of the lower levels. For their sake, as well as Rogue's, we need to find out as much as we can about her powers."

"How are you gonna get any information from her?" Wolverine spoke up. "Jeannie said she couldn't get a read on the kid's mind, and you said yourself that she might be too weak to talk without someone else's energy," he pointed out.

Xavier smiled. "Actually, Wolverine, I'm very glad you asked."

***

Wolverine shifted uncomfortably as he stood looking down at the woman lying on the hospital bed. He hated the med bay. It was too much like a lab. Too much like his nightmares. He glanced around at the medical supplies that lay a few feet away. He hated needles.

Xavier watched Wolverine nervously taking in his surroundings. He was proud of the Canadian for facing his fears to help a fellow mutant.

"Are you ready, Logan?" Professor Xavier asked, gently.

"Let's get this over with," Wolverine grunted.

Xavier smiled. "Very well. Kitty said Rogue laid her bare hand against her face. I believe the transfer occurs with skin to skin contact. What I need you to do is place your bare hand against her face and relax."

Wolverine rolled his eyes. _Yeah, _he thought sarcastically. _Just put your hand on this human vacuum cleaner, Wolverine, and try to relax. _Some days he hated his healing factor. It seemed to make him the ideal guinea pig for too many weird situations. 

Steeling himself, Wolverine reached out his hand towards Rogue's face. Her skin was soft and smooth under his fingers and Wolverine found himself enjoying the touch. Shaking the thought off, he closed his eyes and tried to will himself to relax. Suddenly, he felt a pull. His mind felt like it was caught in a whirlwind as he felt everything inside him start to flow into the woman lying on the table. Fighting his reaction to pull away, Wolverine tried to hold on. Just when he was sure he was going to collapse, Rogue moved under his touch. Suddenly, Wolverine found himself looking down into a pair of the greenest eyes he'd ever seen. Before he could react, Rogue's eyes widened and she screamed.

Bolting up out of the bed, Rogue grabbed her head with both hands as Wolverine's life force flowed through her. Memories attacked her and Rogue struggled to keep them from overwhelming her senses.

Professor Xavier held up a calming hand. "Rogue, it's okay. You are among friends."

Rogue didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes were riveted on Wolverine, fear and panic rolling off of her in waves. Xavier put a hand to his head to ward off the flow of mental anguish that radiated out of her.

Wolverine fought down the dizziness rising inside him. Raising his eyes to Rogue he took a step forward.

"Hey, kid, just calm down." 

Rogue froze for a split second. Suddenly, she spun around to face Xavier. Before Xavier could react, she dove towards him, bare hand outstretched . . .


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Forgiveness  
  
Author: Jenny11  
  
Disclaimer: Characters and some lines are property of Marvel. Not me.  
  
Archive Rights: I'm flattered, just ask.  
  
Feedback: I'll love you forever. Could also mean advance snippets between long updates.  
  
Rating: R  
  
Notes: Alternate Universe. Elements of comics, cartoon, and movies.

Okay, first a thanks to everyone who reviewed:

****

The Little Dragon() - Thank you

****

K. Lynn Smith - Mojo is a villain from the comics. You don't really need know too much about Mojo, aside from what I said in the story. His powers and abilities include enhanced strength, mind control, the ability to increase his power through television ratings, and a tail stinger. Basically, he's a fat yellow blob with a metal scorpion-like tail stinger and legs. He's an alien and he captures people and makes television shows out of them which he projects to the other aliens. The more they watch it, the more powerful he gets. Thus, he's rather sadistic. 

****

Arin Ross() - Wow, thanks. I appreciate the praise. I gotta say, I've had the idea for this story for a while, and I'm really excited to finally be writing it. Still, it is a different idea so I would appreciate all the help I can get. You're the fans, I trust you to point out any inconsistencies and let me know if something doesn't make sense. You keep reading/reviewing, I'll keep writing.

****

Shelaweena - Thank you for the review. I was starting to think I wouldn't get any more for a while and my drive to keep writing was waning. Then I found your review in my mailbox and I'm almost done with the second chapter!

Rogue grunted as someone barreled into her side. Hitting the floor, she rolled out from under her attacker and came up in battle stance, arms raised. She watched as Wolverine's motions mimicked her own. His eyes were grim as he released two sets of wicked looking blades from his hands and waited for her next move. Thoughts raced through her mind and she gritted her teeth against their onslaught. She could sense the Professor off to the side, his hand on his temple, eyes closed in concentration. Keeping her eyes on the big man in front of her, Rogue tried desperately to focus. A horrible feeling of familiarity held her in an icy grip. There was something about this man with the claws. Something bad. Rogue felt panic seize her heart. The memories were new, unlike any she'd absorbed before, yet they screeched at her as though she should remember them. Subconsciously she shook her head. She had to get rid of these memories. Had to replace them with something, anything. Her eyes darted back to Xavier.

Her moment of distraction cost her. Wolverine snarled and leapt at her again. She three herself out of the way, but was a split second too late. Wolverine's foot caught her in the shoulder, spinning her around. Dropping to the floor to regain her balance, she was ready for him when he adjusted his attack. 

Xavier dropped his hand away from his head as he waited for Cyclops and Jean to arrive. He watched in fascination as Wolverine and Rogue battled one another. Never in his time training the team of renegade mutants had he ever seen two combatants so evenly matched. Wolverine leapt around the room, careful not to let Rogue touch him with her draining skin. Rogue, likewise, was careful to stay out of reach of Wolverine's claws as they swiped at her. Reduced to basic physical combat, they swung and dodged one another's blows. Their movements seemed to reflect one another as they moved in almost perfect sync. 

Before Xavier could ponder the situation any further, Cyclops and Jean burst into the room. Cyclops immediately took stock of the situation.

"Jean, form a TK bubble around Rogue! I don't want to damage the lab!"

Jean reached a hand forward to guide her concentration, Cyclops standing beside her with one hand ready on his visor. A light blue bubble began to shine around Rogue. Caught up in the heat of her battle with Wolverine, Rogue hadn't seen it coming. Eyes widening in surprise, she pounded a fist against the force field. When nothing happened, she raised her bare hand and laid it against the wall of her glowing prison. Rogue watched with a sinking feeling in her stomach as the others in the room moved to stand together. Standing there within the telekinetic bubble, she felt like an insect under a magnifying glass. Backing up, she stared sullenly at her captors. Her mental shields were back in place, the disturbing memories locked away. Her head felt strangely empty and Rogue didn't know why. Overwhelmed by a feeling of helplessness and confusion, Rogue could do nothing but wait.

"Are you all right, Professor?" Cyclops asked, never taking his eyes off of Rogue.

Xavier nodded. "I am fine, Scott." He turned to Jean. "It's all right now, Jean. Let her go."

Jean looked doubtful, but she complied. She almost sighed in relief as she dropped the telekinetic shield. Her telekinesis wasn't strong enough to hold a shield like that for very long.

Rogue held still as her prison disappeared. Her eyes darted to Wolverine. His steely gaze held her own. Neither seemed to want to back down. The fight was over, but they weren't finished yet.

Xavier broke into the staring contest with a soothing voice. "Rogue, allow me to make some introductions. I am Professor Xavier. This is Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Wolverine," he said, gesturing to each one in turn. He turned back to Rogue with a kind smile. "I realize you would probably like to rest. Jean will show you to a room where you can take some time to relax and, if it's all right with you, I would like to speak with you later."

Rogue was silent for a few moments. Her mind worked furiously to take in her situation. She was tired and confused. Getting some time to herself in a room where she could think sounded very appealing. Finally, she nodded.

"All right," she said softly. Her sudden change in demeanor and the southern lilt in her voice seemed to surprise the others. They looked at her curiously, as though wondering how a mutant who only moments ago had been locked in combat with Wolverine could now seem so timid.

"Come with me, Rogue," Jean said, gesturing towards the door. Rogue followed her, careful not to get too close to anyone. Wolverine watched her go.

"Are you sure it's wise to leave her alone, Professor? She could still be dangerous," Cyclops pointed out.

Xavier shook his head. "I don't believe we have anything to fear from Rogue right now, Cyclops. She is disoriented and confused, she didn't attack out of malicious intent. We musn't forget that she is the victim. Mojo held her for five years, I want her to realize that unlike her previous lodgings, this mansion is not a prison."

Cyclops nodded, but didn't seem entirely convinced. Still, he let the topic drop and left the room to update Storm and Colossus. As Cyclops disappeared down the hallway, Xavier turned to Wolverine. "Logan, may I ask you a question?"

Wolverine nodded, his mind still on the green-eyed mutant with the deadly touch. "Shoot, Wheels."

Xavier smiled slightly at Wolverine's use of the infernal nickname. Then his face grew serious.

"Wolverine, did you recognize that young mutant?"

Wolverine frowned. "No. Why?"

Xavier seemed to choose his words carefully before responding. "Wolverine, when Rogue woke up, I sensed a wave of emotions rush over her."

"I thought Jeannie said you can't read Rogue's mind," Wolverine interrupted.

Xavier sighed. "That is true to a point. Rogue's mind is very confusing. Still, although I don't know exactly what she was thinking, I believe, somehow, it was all connected with you. She seemed to recognize you from somewhere, and I believe that is what frightened her."

"You don't think she was just scared because she woke up in the med lab with two strangers staring down at her?" Wolverine asked, dubiously.

Xavier was silent for a moment, lost in thought. Finally, he nodded, slowly.

"Perhaps," he agreed. Straightening up, he smiled at Wolverine. "Thank you for your help, Logan."

Wolverine held back. "Look, Wheels, I don't even remember anything before the last fifteen years. Unless she's part of the past I've forgotten, I don't know her."

"I understand," Xavier nodded. "Thank you, Logan."

Wolverine grit his teeth. There was something the Professor wasn't telling him. Something that had to do with him. He nodded shortly and left, walking towards the Danger Room. He was suddenly in the mood to destroy something.

***

"This room is yours as long as you want it," Jean said, motioning for Rogue to walk into the room ahead of her. Rogue hesitated outside the door, hanging back until Jean finally gave up and walked in ahead of her. Rogue noticed a light blue glow in the air behind Jean. She quirked an eyebrow. The redhead must not trust her.

"There's a bathroom in there with clean towels," Jean pointed out. "There should be a clean outfit in the drawer over there, as well, if you'd like to get a shower." She turned around and looked at Rogue. "If you need anything, just ask. Professor Xavier will check in with you later."

Rogue nodded. She peeked into the bathroom, mentally taking note of the small window against the wall. No bars. Looking back at Jean, she waited expectantly.

Jean took the hint. "Well, I guess I'll see you later." She turned to leave, and then suddenly she stopped. Turning back to Rogue, she looked at her curiously.

"You know, I feel kind of silly and I'm not sure if anyone's asked you yet, but . . . what's your name?"

Rogue looked surprised. The question caught her off guard and she was disturbed to find her mind was a complete blank. She took several moments before she answered.

"Rogue," she said carefully. "Just call me Rogue."

Jean looked as though she wanted to say more, but then seemed to think better of it. Nodding to Rogue with a smile, she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Rogue listened, waiting for the other woman's footsteps to fade away down the hall. Turning back to her new room, she walked over to the window. She looked out over the grounds at a group of mutants playing basketball. Jean's words played back in her mind.

"Mah name," she whispered. "What _is_ mah name?" 

Concentrating, Rogue tried to remember. She had to have a name. Searching her mind, she came up against a strong set of mental blocks. These, at least, she knew. The solid psychic walls were as familiar to her as her own deadly skin. These were what kept the bad memories away. Still, something was different. Rogue frowned. She felt . . . empty. Alone.

"Who am Ah?" she wondered out loud.

Tentatively, she reached out towards the mental block. Maybe her name had gotten lost—

Suddenly, Rogue screeched as a sharp pain lanced through her head. Clasping her head in her hands, she waited for the pain to pass. It dulled to a faint throb and slowly Rogue straightened up. Taking a deep breath, she stumbled towards the bathroom. _Wolverine must have landed a glancing blow on mah temple_ she thought. _Ah probably just need a hot shower. _

Stripping down as she went, Rogue turned on the water as hot as she could stand it and stepped inside. The steaming water pounded into her back as she propped her head up on her arms, leaning against the wall of the shower. She felt so tired. So very tired. Her mind felt sluggish. She couldn't seem to remember anything before waking up here.

An image of Wolverine floated into her mind. Somehow, Rogue felt like she knew him. She'd felt it when he touched her, a rush of memories so familiar and yet so foreign. They'd scared her for some reason. Then, when they'd fought, he'd seemed to anticipate her every move. They'd moved almost as one. Rogue bit her lip. Where had she learned to fight? Was it possible that they had learned together? Had he taught her? She sighed. Her mind offered her no answers, only the silence of the looming mental blocks. Their presence seemed to intimidate her even as they comforted her. 

Closing her eyes, Rogue took a deep breath. She would have to get some answers another way. And right now, Wolverine looked like her only lead . . .

***

Wolverine snarled as his claws sliced through the last robot. Its circuitry fizzled and died, the hologram of Magneto fading to reveal the robot's true form. Wolverine stared down at the destroyed machine. Nothing. He'd been tearing things apart for nearly an hour now, and he didn't feel any better than he had when he started. He sighed and turned around, giving the command for the Danger Room to end his simulation. 

"Why me?" he wondered out loud. His voice was low enough to avoid the echo one usually got in the lower level hallways. He still couldn't figure out why Xavier had been so sure Rogue recognized him. So she panicked. Who wouldn't? Hell, Wolverine could remember the first time he'd woken up in the lab. He'd torn the place apart before Jean calmed him down. Why should this new mutant be any different?

Wolverine headed up the stairs to the ground floor and then walked outside. Striding towards the woods surrounding the mansion, Wolverine's mind turned back to the X-Men's latest guest. Jean had said Mojo held Rogue prisoner for five years, during which he kept her powers constantly active. Why? Knowing Mojo, Wolverine was sure it had something to do with his damnable television ratings. He wondered if Kitty would be able to find anything on the Internet. 

Suddenly, Wolverine heard someone approaching. Stepping behind a tree, he sniffed the air. Rogue. Wolverine tensed and lifted himself into the tree to look through the branches. About twenty feet away, Rogue was approaching the forest, heading right for him. Her hair was wet and she was dressed in one of the standard-issue gray jogging suits, the X-Men seemed so ready to provide. Wolverine smirked. She had decided to wear the white sleeveless undershirt instead of the sweatshirt. Technically, it was a man's tank top, but Wolverine wasn't complaining. Rogue filled it out all right at the top, and the large armholes were dangerously close to revealing her Victoria's secrets. Still, the straps were a little loose at the shoulders and the sweatpants were too baggy, hanging low on her hips. All in all, she looked like a little girl who'd gotten into daddy's clothing. Staying quiet up in his hiding place, Wolverine watched as she approached, waiting to see what she'd do. They hadn't spoken since the fight in the med lab, and he wondered if she was here to finish it.

To his surprise, she walked right up to the tree he was in and peered up into the branches. He waited for her to speak, but several minutes passed and she just continued to stare up at him. 

"Can I help you?" he asked finally. He was starting to feel a little silly sitting in a tree under Rogue's unwavering gaze.

She started, and suddenly appeared very nervous. Feeling a little better, Wolverine gracefully leapt off of his branch, landing a few feet in front of her.

"You come out here to find me?" he asked.

Rogue shifted uncomfortably. 

"Well?" Wolverine asked after she didn't answer right away. "You come here to fight?"

That got her attention. She snapped her head up, her body relaxing into a defensive stance. 

"Ah didn't come here to fight. Ah'm sorry about what happened back in the mansion."

Wolverine watched her for a moment before nodding.

"All right, you're not here to fight. So what do you want?"

Again, Rogue shifted uncomfortably.

"Do you know me?" she asked finally, looking him in the eye. Her voice trembled ever so slightly, as if she wasn't sure she really wanted an answer to her question.

"Should I know you?" Wolverine countered.

Rogue narrowed her eyes. "God Ah hope not."

"Excuse me?" Wolverine asked, taken aback.

"Ah came out here and asked ya a perfectly simple question and you gotta go and be all weird about it. If you're gonna be an asshole, maybe Ah don't _want_ to know you."

Now it was Wolverine's turn to narrow his eyes. "Well, excuse me. I didn't realize I was your personal magic eight ball." He looked down at her. "What the hell would make you think I know you, anyway? You obviously don't know me."

"Ah can't remember!" Rogue yelled. 

Her eyes were bright with anger now. Underneath the anger, though, Wolverine could smell fear. Maybe the Professor was right. Maybe she did recognize him. So now the question was, recognized him from where? He sighed, and threw up his hands.

"Look, I didn't mean to piss you off. But in all honestly, no, I don't know you." _To the best of my knowledge, anyway,_ he added to himself. 

Rogue stared at him intently and Wolverine could almost see the wheels turning around in her head. Finally, she seemed to snap out of it.

"Wanna get a beer?" she asked.

"A beer?" Wolverine asked, caught off guard. This was a new turn.

Rogue nodded. "Yeah. Ah could really use a beer and Ah have no idea where to get one. Ah'm guessing ya'll don't keep beer here, considerin' it's a school an all."

Wolverine frowned. "How did you know this was a school?" he asked suspiciously.

Rogue turned to walk back towards the mansion. "You mean besides all the bells goin' off, heraldin' a stampede of kids moving from one room to another?"

Wolverine stared at her retreating back for a moment. She certainly was a smartass. He tilted his head. Huh. He liked her.

***

"Where did she go?" Cyclops demanded.

"Scott, relax. She wasn't quarantined, you know," Jean said smoothly. She reached a hand out to her husband's shoulder.

"She should have been," Cyclops muttered. "She attacks the Professor and then just goes running off." He turned to Jean. "Maybe we should call the kids inside and then search the grounds."

Jean sighed. "Scott, you're blowing this out of proportion. I'm sure if anything happened we'd hear it. Besides, if the Professor were really concerned, I'm sure he could use Cerebro to find her."

Cyclops shook his head. "If you and he can't even read her mind when she's here, how are you going to use Cerebro to find her?"

"Well, I'm sure we could find Wolverine—"

"WOLVERINE'S WITH HER?!" Cyclops gasped. "Jesus, Jean, what if she's dead?"

Jean stared at him. "Scott Summers, if you don't take a deep breath and calm down, so help me I'll shoot you so full of Thorozine you'll be able to see the humor in Crank Yankers."

Cyclops raised an eyebrow at that. "But what about her meeting with the Professor?"

"Rogue will meet with the Professor when she's ready," Jean said firmly. "Until then, we wait."

Cyclops nodded, but didn't look convinced. He didn't trust the Southern vampire and he wasn't about to any time soon.

***

"Nice shot," Wolverine commented. 

Rogue smiled and lined up her next shot. She was having a good time. The beer was cold, Wolverine was a formidable pool opponent, and her head didn't hurt anymore. Life was good, even if she could only remember a day. 

Wolverine watched her carefully. "Mind if I ask you a question?"

Rogue kept her eye on her shot. "Your risk."

"You said you couldn't remember if you knew me or not. What did you mean?" he asked seriously. 

Rogue looked up at him. "Why should Ah discuss personal matters with you? You don't even like me."

Wolverine shrugged. "I like you as much as I like any strange broad who tries to kill a friend of mine."

Rogue looked away. "Ah wasn't tryin' to kill him," she said softly.

"So what were you doin'?"

There was a faraway look in Rogue's eyes as her mind played back over the scene. "The memories hurt. Ah had to make them stop."

Wolverine furrowed his eyebrows. _The memories hurt? What memories?_ Suddenly, he winced as he remembered Xavier's idea. He'd touched her in the lab to wake her up and she'd absorbed him. She must be talking about his memories. Steeling himself, he forced his tone to be light. Rogue was attractive, and she didn't seem all that dangerous anymore, but he didn't discuss his memories with anyone.

"You gonna take your shot, or what?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

Rogue glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He wasn't much of a talker. Getting to know him wasn't going to be easy . . . 

Author's Note: So what do you think so far? Specifically, do you think everyone was written in character? Was anything confusing? Do I need to explain anything more, or develop any of the scenes further?


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Forgiveness  
  
Author: Jenny11  
  
Disclaimer: Characters and some lines are property of Marvel. Not me.  
  
Archive Rights: I'm flattered, just ask.  
  
Feedback: I'll love you forever. Could also mean advance snippets between long updates.  
  
Rating: R  
  
Notes: Alternate Universe. Elements of comics, cartoon, and movies.

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The Little Dragon - I agree that they should not be canceling X-Men Evolution.

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Syd() - Hey, the more reviews I get, the faster I write and the quicker I update. Trust me, you're doing your part in assuring that you get to read more.

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Arin Ross() - That is one of the best reviews I've ever received. I love it when reviewers are specific about what they like (for instance, quoting a line). I also like the way you speculated as to where I was going with Rogue's character. Now I have a question for you: is "RoLogan" a term you came up with, or do others use it as well? Is a "RoLogan" a bad thing?

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Karma() - Thank you! I love it when someone reviews my work more than once!

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Spy() - Sorry this chapter took so long!

The next morning, Rogue paused mid-crunch as she heard a knock on her door. Standing up, she walked over and opened the door to find Jean standing in the hallway.

"Rogue, you're up," Jean said, surprised. 

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh."

Jean smiled. "I thought you might still be sleeping since we hadn't seen you yet this morning."

Rogue shrugged. "Ah was just exercising. Don't wanna get out of shape."

"You know, we have a gym here. If you'd like to work out, you're more than welcome to use it."

"Ah'm fine up here, but Ah'll think about it."

"All right." 

Rogue looked at her expectantly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just wanted to let you know that the Professor would like to talk to you." A shadow crossed Rogue's face and Jean rushed to add, "It's not a problem that you didn't see him yesterday. He understands that you've just been through a difficult ordeal and besides, we're not here to tell you what to do." Rogue relaxed slightly and Jean smiled reassuringly. "He's in his office which is on the first floor. Just go down there and ask one of the students to show you where it is."

Rogue took a deep breath and was silent for a few moments. Finally, she nodded.

"All right."

***

Professor Xavier looked up from his work as he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in."

Rogue poked her head in the door. "Jean said you wanted to see me?"

Xavier smiled and gestured for her to come in. "Yes. Please have a seat, Rogue."

Rogue walked in and sat down in the chair opposite the Professor. Her body language was a little stiff, but she seemed to be trying to stay relaxed.

"First of all, I'd like to know how you've been doing? I'm told you and Wolverine have been getting along well."

Rogue nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Professor Xavier watched her for a minute. Finally he took a deep breath and decided to just get right down to business.

"Rogue, what do you remember before waking up here?"

Rogue was silent for a moment, thinking carefully. "Honestly, Ah don't remember anything, really. There are images in mah head, but they're all pretty fuzzy."

"How do you feel about that?"

Rogue shrugged. "Ah guess it's a little unnerving not remembering anything. But Ah figure I'll either remember it eventually, or Ah won't. Maybe there's a reason Ah don't remember anything."

Xavier nodded thoughtfully. "For instance?"

Rogue looked uncomfortable. "Ah don't know." 

"Rogue, are you uncomfortable talking with me?"

Rogue hesitated. "It's not you. Ah just don't really wanna discuss mah memories, or lack thereof with anyone."

Xavier smiled. "Rogue, I want to help you in any way I can. If you're not comfortable talking, I understand." He thought for a moment. "Do you feel comfortable enough around Wolverine, that you would possibly consider training with him?"

"Training?" Rogue asked.

"Meditation. Logan is quite knowledgeable in the art of meditation and I feel he may be able to help you. It may help you to retrieve your memories. At the very least, I feel meditation is a valuable skill that may help you to deal with your memories once they return."

He waited while Rogue digested the information. He could practically see the wheels in her head turning over the possibilities. Finally, she nodded.

"All right. Ah'll give it a shot." 

***

"You're late."

"You're cranky."

Wolverine didn't respond. His eyes were closed and he was sitting cross-legged and bare-chested in the shade of a large oak tree. Rogue watched him carefully. When he didn't give her any directions, she shrugged and sat down in front of him. She'd decided to wear the newly washed black full length body-suit that the X-Men had found her in. Despite its full coverage, the suit stretched easily. Folding her legs, she mimicked his position and closed her eyes.

"Is it comfortable for you to hold that position," Wolverine asked. His voice was low and steady.

"Peachy," Rogue responded in the same tone.

Wolverine frowned. "Concentrate on your breathing."

Rogue concentrated. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As she continued to slow her body, Rogue could feel her body start to relax. The sounds of nature around her soothed her nerves. She could hear birds in the trees around her. The water in the pond not far off, sent the sounds of tiny waves and gentle splashing towards her ears. She smiled. She loved the outdoors. 

"Let your mind wander," Wolverine said, his voice low with relaxation. "This exercise is supposed to calm your mind as well as your body. Let your thoughts flow through your mind."

Rogue frowned. All her thoughts seemed to be pushed behind the walls in her mind. The more she started to relax, the more those thoughts seemed to want to flow out from that wall. Steeling herself, she reinforced the walls, trying to keep whatever they held locked away in place. As she concentrated on pushing the memories away from her, she felt her body start to tense up again. She shifted.

"Problem?" Wolverine asked calmly.

Rogue opened her eyes to find Wolverine watching her. His position hadn't changed and his breathing was still perfectly regular.

Rogue rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Ah don't know about you, Logan, but Ah slept last night. Ah don't need to be sittin' here takin' a nap right now."

Wolverine didn't respond. Instead, he closed his eyes. Suddenly, his arms unfolded and his hands braced themselves on the ground, lifting his body. Like lightening, his leg swept out towards Rogue's head. Rogue reacted quickly, but she wasn't fast enough. As she dove out of the way, she caught a glancing blow to her shoulder that spun her around. Rolling with the momentum, she recovered quickly. Rolling onto her hands and knees, she knelt there and got her bearings. Wolverine had stood up and was now crouched down, watching her with a smile. She smiled back and motioned for him to step forward. In seconds they were trading blows, each one searching the other's form for some sign of weakness. 

The fight escalated to the point that neither of them noticed when a crowd started gathering. Alerted by the sounds of a fight, some of the students had wandered into the woods and found them. One of the students, a telepath, promptly sent out a telepathic shout to his fellow classmates who weren't there to witness it. Soon, students were running for the forest, all of them eager to see the infamous Wolverine battle the most recent arrival. 

In his office, Professor Xavier raised his head as he heard the child's message. Shaking his head, he sent his own telepathic message to Cyclops and Storm. The two X-Men were quick to excuse themselves from their classes and rush outside to see what was going on. Assuring himself through his telepathy that there was no serious threat to anyone's health, Xavier watched as Storm and Cyclops raced towards the woods. He sighed. Why couldn't Rogue have taken a fancy to one of his more restrained X-Men?

***

Rogue watched curiously as Wolverine sat looking at the Professor with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. A fuming Cyclops and a serene Storm stood off to the side. Eventually, Professor Xavier met his eyes with a steady gaze.

"You seem very proud of yourself, Logan."

Wolverine shrugged. "Meditation wasn't doing anything for her, Wheels. A change of tactics was necessary."

"And you thought attacking her was an appropriate alternative?" Cyclops asked incredulously. 

"Scott, please." Professor Xavier rubbed the bridge of his nose. After a few moments, he turned to Rogue.

"Well, Rogue, what do you think? Was the fight helpful?"

Rogue stared at him for a moment. She seemed to be debating with herself on whether the Professor had meant that as a serious question. Finally, she decided that the Professor didn't strike her as the joking type.

"Better than sittin' there just breathin'," she answered honestly. She glanced over at Cyclops. He seemed like a few deep breaths might do him more good than her.

"Well, Logan," the Professor continued. "That's not exactly a ringing endorsement. May I ask what you feel you've accomplished?"

Wolverine smiled. "I think I just recruited the newest X-Man."

"WHAT!? Newest—You—Are you--?"

Rogue watched, fascinated as a little vein began to pulse at Cyclops' temple. _That can't be a good sign,_ she thought to herself.

"Scott, please," Professor Xavier started.

"Professor, with all due respect, Rogue's been here for less than two days. I don't think this is an appropriate topic to be discussing with her!"

"You "discussed" it with me the *first* day I was here," Wolverine countered. He looked at Storm. "Don't you think you should give Rogue the same chance to choose her side?"

Storm smiled. "A noble sentiment, Wolverine."

Cyclops' jaw dropped. "We don't even know if she can fight!" he sputtered. 

Wolverine grinned, his sharp canines giving the smile a slightly sinister look. "Yes. We do." He looked back at the Professor.

Professor Xavier held his gaze. For several moments, the only sounds in the room were the labored breaths of Cyclops as he struggled to control his blood pressure. Just when Rogue thought Cyclops was going to explode, the Professor spoke.

"What do you think about all this, Rogue?"

Rogue stared at him. "What's an X-Man?"

Cyclops fainted.

***

A few days later Cyclops, Wolverine, and Rogue were gathered around the table in the War Room waiting patiently for the Professor to join them for a final debriefing before they left. In her seat beside him, Rogue noticed that Wolverine seemed agitated. She wondered whether it was the mission or the fact that she would be along for the fight this time that was bothering him. Her train of thought was interrupted when the doors swished open and the Professor entered the room.

"Any new information, Professor?" Cyclops asked.

Xavier shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Scott. My sources report activity up at Alkali Lake, but I was unable to learn anything specific. Using Cerebro, I was able to ascertain that there is mutant activity at the abandoned plant. However, I do not know what they are doing." He glanced at Wolverine before continuing. "I want all of you to go up to Alkali Lake and learn what you can. If the mutants there are dangerous, I want to know what they're doing before they can do any real damage. If they are not, I want you to make sure they are all right and if they need assistance, bring them back with you."

Cyclops nodded and motioned for Wolverine and Rogue to follow him to the waiting Blackbird. As they filed out, Professor Xavier signaled Wolverine to remain behind.

"Wolverine, I just wanted to reassert that you are all right with this mission. You realize that you are not obligated to go."

"I didn't even know you were still keepin' tabs on the place," Wolverine said wryly.

"I told you I would try to help you find your past, Logan. I keep my word."

Wolverine shook his head. "I've already been up there, Chuck. There was nothing there. If there's anything there now, I want to know." 

***

Rogue quietly crept back to where Cyclops was waiting, hidden behind a cropping of trees surrounding the Alkali Lake complex. 

"Nothin' over there, shugah."

Cyclops nodded and turned watch Wolverine approach from the opposite direction. "Nothin'. There's no sign of mutant activity anywhere."

Cyclops turned a ruby colored gaze on the complex. "Then I guess we take a closer look. Stay close. Wolverine you take point."

Wolverine crept ahead, sniffing occasionally to make sure they weren't walking into a trap. As they got closer to the building, Wolverine frowned. If there was anyone in there, he should be able to smell them by now, but the only scents he was picking up were Rogue and Cyclops. He straightened up and opened the door. 

As they filed into the building, Cyclops looked around, searching for any sign that the place was inhabited. Neither he nor Wolverine, nor Rogue spotted anyone.

"This place is silent as the grave," Rogue said softly. She looked around at the cold stone walls and dusty floors. "Ah don't think there's anyone here."

"I have to admit, that's what it looks like. Still, the Professor isn't usually wrong. Maybe there's a basement."

"There is," Wolverine said quietly. Rogue and Cyclops turned to look at him. Wolverine's normally blank face seemed strained and there was a haunted look in his eyes that spooked his teammates. "It's off to the right, down the stairs."

Cyclops stared at him for a moment longer before nodding slowly. He turned around and Rogue followed him to where Wolverine had told them the basement was. Wolverine hung back, not moving towards the basement. He knew what was down there. He had the nightmares, he didn't want them any fresher. Keeping his senses on high alert, he continued to look around, watching for any sign of trouble.

***

Rogue felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as she followed Cyclops down the basement stairs. Something about this place was giving her the creeps. Somehow, the look in Wolverine's eyes had seemed hauntingly familiar to her. As she and Cyclops headed further into the basement, her feeling of discomfort increased. 

At the bottom of the stairs, the hallway opened up into a huge room. Computers lined the walls and huge tank of water stood in the center. As Cyclops walked past them, Rogue stopped dead in her tracks. With her eyes riveted to the tanks in the center, she opened her mouth and screamed . . . 

***

Up on the ground floor, Wolverine heard a scream pierce his sensitive hearing. Without a second thought, he dashed towards the door to the basement, rushing down the stairs. When he burst into the room that haunted so many of his nightmares, he saw Cyclops desperately trying to calm down a hysterical Rogue.   
Wolverine rushed over and stared into her wild eyes. Screams tore from her throat as she seemed to watch specters that weren't there. As he reached out to touch her, Rogue jerked away from him. Her eyes were glazed over, staring at him unseeing.

"Wolverine, we have to get her out of here," Cyclops shouted. 

Wolverine didn't wait to be told twice. He turned to run up the stairs, as Cyclops threw Rogue's twisting body over his shoulder. Together they raced towards the Blackbird. 

As they climbed aboard, Cyclops took Rogue to the back and strapped her down to one of the stretchers. Rogue screeched and fought him, her movements uncoordinated and useless. Finally, Cyclops got her strapped down. Returning to the front of the jet, he kicked the engines into gear, and the jet rose off the ground and shot towards the mansion.

Author's note: I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. In the future, if I have a difficult time getting a chapter out in time, I will send what I have done after a week to those loyal reviewers who leave their e-mail address in a review. If you're not comfortable posting your e-mail address, you can e-mail me after posting a review for the story and I will keep a list of the e-mail addresses that will receive advance snippets. This is my way of thanking those of you who take the time to review.

I like to write Cyclops as an uptight commander and use him for humor purposes. I realize it is slightly out of character. Sorry.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Forgiveness  
  
Author: Jenny11  
  
Disclaimer: Characters and some lines are property of Marvel. Not me.  
  
Archive Rights: I'm flattered, just ask.  
  
Feedback: I'll love you forever. Could also mean advance snippets between long updates.  
  
Rating: R  
  
Notes: Alternate Universe. Elements of comics, cartoon, and movies.

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Cheers Darlin - Glad you like it!

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Arin Ross/Arain Rowan() - Thanks for explaining the Rogan thing. Also, thank you for the helpful review. Usually, I do like to write Jean as a bitch, but it wasn't necessary for this story. As for the cliffie, I'm hoping to update soon. If people keep reviewing, I'm sure it will be updated in no time.

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Syd() - I agree. I love AU stories.

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DaughterofDeath - So I take it you like the story?

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Tara() - Goosebumps, huh? I hope this one can meet that standard.

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Lesley() - Thanks! I only intended to give an advanced snippet if for some reason it had been over a week since I'd updated and I felt bad. Also, this is the first time you reviewed, and the advanced snippet is kind of a reward for loyal reviewers. However, if you continue to review, I will send you advanced snippets.

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Ladychopsticks - Thanks. Hmmm, what could it all mean . . .

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Lesley() - Background information on Rogue will be revealed soon . . .

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Lesley() - Rogue and Wolverine definitely share something in common . . . 

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Tannash - I love Cyclops as a source of humor too. It's just too easy.

By the time the Blackbird landed back at the X-Mansion, Rogue had stopped fighting. Instead, her body trembled violently, her head shaking from side to side. She mumbled unintelligible words, occasionally squeezing her eyes shut. 

"Scott, what happened?" Jean asked quickly, rushing to where Wolverine and Cyclops were wheeling Rogue on a stretcher. 

"We went to Alkali Lake, but there was no one there. Rogue and I went down to the basement and she just flipped out." 

As they got to the door, Jean led the way down to the med lab. Wolverine and Cyclops followed right behind her, pushing Rogue's stretcher. As soon as they entered the med lab, Jean was all business. 

"All right, both of you hold her down," she commanded. She opened several cupboards, pulling out a syringe and a vial. Wolverine tensed as she approached.

"Wolverine, Scott, you should both go," Jean said as she injected the liquid into Rogue's arm. "This tranquilizer should keep her quiet. I'm going to run a few tests. I'll come upstairs as soon as I'm done and you'll know what I know."

Wolverine didn't have to be told twice, but Cyclops seemed to want to hang back. 

"Scott, this isn't your fault, and you standing in my way isn't going to help her."

As Cyclops left the room, Jean turned back to Rogue. The tranquilizer didn't seem to be taking effect as quickly as is should have. Frowning, Jean checked her vitals. After assuring herself that Rogue's body was not responding to the tranquilizer, she turned and refilled the syringe, giving her another injection. Eventually, the drug kicked in and Rogue's form grew still. Shaking her head, Jean began hooking up the machines to monitor Rogue's brain activity. As the readings spewed out on the computer, Jean ran the information over in her mind. Something about the readings seemed familiar. Suddenly, something clicked in Jean's mind. Walking over to the computer, she typed in Wolverine's name and pulled up his information.

***

"So what'd you find out Jeannie?" Wolverine asked. 

"Wolverine, why weren't you in the basement with Scott and Rogue?" Jean interrupted.

Wolverine narrowed his eyes. "I've been in the room before."

"Was that where the experiments were performed on you?"

Wolverine bristled at her question. It wasn't like Jean to be this blunt about such a sensitive issue.

"Yeah. Why?"

Jean held up the file in her hand. 

"Wolverine, have you felt different at all since Rogue absorbed you?" Jean asked thoughtfully.

Wolverine raised an eyebrow. "No. Should I?"

"I don't know. But the readings I'm getting from Rogue right now are remarkably similar to the readings I got from you when I monitored your brain waves during one of your nightmares."

Wolverine clenched his teeth. He remembered that particular episode. Jean had wanted to find out if his nightmares were like any other nightmare, caused by random images produced by the brain, or if they were, as the Professor believed, flashbacks of events that had happened to him. He'd had to spend the night in that damnable med lab. Jean had been certain that the very fact that he was in the med lab would be enough to trigger one of his nightmares and she'd been right. It was not a treasured memory.

"What does that mean? Is Rogue having Wolverine's nightmares?" Cyclops asked curiously.

"I don't know, Scott. We don't know very much about the nature of Rogue's powers. Wolverine's nightmares are flashbacks from his past. Even if Rogue does absorb memories as well as energy, it is unlikely that she would have kept them for this long. Even if she did, they should be much weaker than the readings I'm getting right now."

"If she does retain information she absorbs from other people, shouldn't she still have Kitty's memories too?" 

Jean shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. To the best of my knowledge, the Professor never quizzed her in depth about her powers. In any case, the only way we can be sure is to ask Rogue herself."

"In which case, we're shit outta luck 'til she wakes up," Wolverine finished.

Jean nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so. In which case, Wolverine, I think you may be our best bet. She's already demonstrated an aversion to talking with the Professor. Maybe she would feel more comfortable discussing this with you."

"She does seem to feel disturbingly close to you," Cyclops muttered.

Wolverine grinned wolfishly. "Must be my animal magnetism."

Jean tried not to laugh at the look of irritation on her husband's face.

"All right, hot shot," she broke in, jokingly. "Then it's decided. Tomorrow, you talk to Rogue. It's about time we learned something about our newest recruit."

***

The next morning, Rogue woke up to the eerie feeling that someone was watching her. Shooting up in bed, she swept her fist out in an arc, instinctively trying to strike out at her observer.

"Whoa, calm down, darlin'. I'm not gonna hurt you."

Rogue blinked. Wolverine was sitting in a chair beside her bed. She looked around. She was back in her room at Xavier's. The covers around her were bunched up and disordered, but she didn't remember falling asleep, let alone going to bed.

"How did Ah get here?"

"I brought you. I know what it's like to wake up in a lab, and I figured you'd probably like this better. All things considered," he added, carefully.

Rogue tilted her head. "What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.

Wolverine took a deep breath. "Look, I know you've been through a lot of shit, an the last thing you wanna do is put your life on display."

"But . . ."

"But, there's a few things I need to know," Wolverine finished bluntly.

"Like what?" Rogue asked uncomfortably.

"Like your powers."

Rogue looked confused. "What about them?"

"Well, for starters, what are they?" Wolverine asked wryly.

Rogue stared at him for a moment and Wolverine could almost see the wheels turning in her head. She was thinking about this question awfully hard, and Wolverine wondered whether she was debating on whether to talk to him . . . or how much to tell him.

"Ah absorb people when Ah touch them," Rogue said finally.

"Absorb what?" Wolverine prompted.

"Strength . . . powers . . . memories."

Wolverine tensed. "How long do you keep them?"

Rogue shifted uncomfortably. "Depends on how long Ah hold on and whether Ah'm tryin' to absorb them or if it's an accident."

"You absorbed me the other day. Do you still have what you took?"

Rogue sighed. "Ah don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Wolverine asked firmly.

Rogue looked around as if the conversation was becoming difficult. "Ah don't know. There's this . . . block. Inside mah head." 

Wolverine raised his eyebrows and Rogue seemed to fumble for the right words.

"When Ah absorbed you, Ah kind of panicked and shoved everything behind the wall in mah mind."

"Why did you panic?"

"Ah don't know, all right? Ah wasn't really thinkin' that straight. Ah just pushed the memories away."

"So they could still be inside your head?"

Rogue shrugged.

"Look," Wolverine said. He was starting to get agitated. Getting answers out of Rogue was like pulling teeth and his patience was wearing thin. "For the past couple of days you've been telling us you don't remember anything. You keep pumping me for information, so obviously you remember something about me. Now I think it's time you tore that damn wall down and got some answers."

"Don't you dare tell me what to do," Rogue said softly. Her voice was strained with anger as she bit out the words. "Do you have any idea what it's like to have no memories? To get little flashes here and there, not enough to give you any real idea who you are, but just enough to make you sure that you would do anything not to remember?" 

Her voice broke at the end and Wolverine found himself moving to sit on the bed next to her. His chest felt constricted as images from his nightmares rushed through him. Her words sounded eerily familiar to him and he started to wonder just how much he and Rogue had in common.

"Yeah. I know what that's like." He hesitated. "Rogue, just tell me one thing. Last night, when we were at Alkali Lake," He met her eyes. "What scared you?"

Rogue's eyes got a faraway look in them and she subconsciously moved closer to Wolverine.

"Ah felt . . . pain. Ah remember looking at a tank . . . and Ah felt it." She trailed off for a moment. "Needles. Lots of them. They're—" Suddenly, she broke off.

Wolverine put his arm around her and she buried her face in his chest. His head felt like it was going to explode. He had to talk to the Professor.

***

"Well, Wolverine, I've examined these printouts and I believe you may be onto something." Professor Xavier looked down at the papers in front of him. "Rogue's readings show a great deal of similarity to yours, but I haven't found any evidence of Kitty." He looked at Wolverine. "Where is Rogue, right now?"

"Upstairs taking a shower. So the things she remembered back at Alkali Lake aren't my memories," he prodded.

Xavier paused. "It's possible that when Rogue touched Kitty she was too weak for the transfer to open completely. You said yourself, Rogue told you her powers depended on the length and power of the contact."

Wolverine shook his head. "I'm telling you, Chuck, the look in her eyes wasn't some faint recollection of a memory she got from me. It really happened to her."

"I believe you that you feel a strong empathy with Rogue," he said carefully.

"Damn straight," Wolverine growled angrily. "Those bastards experimented on her the same way they did to me."

Professor Xavier folded his hands in front of him. "If that was true, Wolverine, what is it you think they did to her? Your memories concern the adamantium process. If Cyclops was able to carry her out of the complex with as little difficulty as he related, I highly doubt Rogue has an adamantium skeleton."

Wolverine ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know."

Xavier sighed. "What do you intend to do then, Wolverine? If Rogue does not wish to discuss it, I don't know what you can do."

Wolverine stood up. "I can be there for her. When she's ready to talk, I'll be waiting."

Xavier watched him walk to the door. "Wolverine?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you feel that somehow Rogue is the key to finding your lost past?"

Wolverine thought for a moment. "I don't know," he said finally. "But I intend to find out."

***

Rogue stared out over the water of the lake outside the mansion. Sitting on the dock, she rocked back and forth. Her head hurt. She was trying so hard to push the memories that had come pouring out at Alkali Lake back behind the wall that she felt exhausted. It was getting harder and harder for her to keep the wall standing. Each day the wall seemed to weaken. Just being around Wolverine seemed to taught the memories in Rogue's head, making them want to come to the foreground to be recognized. Still, after last night, Rogue was more sure than ever that she didn't want those memories. Didn't want to know what had happened. The question was, how long could she keep them back?

Suddenly, Rogue looked behind her. Wolverine was standing a few feet away.

"Hey."

"Hey, yourself," Rogue responded.

Wolverine came over and sat down beside her. "How ya doin'?

"'Bout how you'd expect, Ah guess. Why? You got more questions?"

Wolverine shook his head. "I'm not here to ask you any questions. When you wanna talk, you talk, I'll listen."

Rogue smiled. "Thanks."

Wolverine nodded. For several minutes, they both just looked out over the water. After a while, Wolverine spoke.

"Feel like goin' for a ride?"

Rogue nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. Yes Ah do."

Wolverine grinned and they both stood up. After stretching her muscles, Rogue turned to follow Wolverine back towards the mansion. As they passed the boathouse, Jean and Scott came out, each in their swimsuits. 

"Hey, Rogue, Wolverine. Where are you guys off to?" Jean smiled.

"Just into town, Jeannie. Figure it's about time our new recruit saw the city," Wolverine answered. 

"Takin' her to Harry's?" Scott asked, knowingly. Harry's Hideaway was a small bar and grill where the X-Men usually hung out. The owner, Harry, was sympathetic to mutants and could always be counted on to make anyone feel at home.

"Probably," Wolverine nodded.

After he and Rogue had gotten a distance away, Rogue chuckled.

"What?" Wolverine asked curiously.

"You like Jean?" Rogue asked. There was a sparkle of mischief in her eyes.

Wolverine turned around and deliberately ran his eyes over Jean's form. "Wouldn't mind havin' a go at her." He turned and grinned as he ran his eyes over Rogue's body. "Then again . . ."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Lord, why do Ah ask?"

Wolverine laughed.

***

"Eight ball, corner pocket."

"Nice shot," Rogue complimented. 

Wolverine took another swig of his beer. They'd been shooting pool and drinking for eight hours and he was actually starting to get a buzz. Then again, a couple bottles of liquor and as many beers would do that to a person. He grinned and looked over at Rogue as she racked the balls. Speaking of rack . . . 

"You're not doin' so bad yourself."

Rogue smiled. "Not used to havin' a chick kick your ass, huh?"

Wolverine chuckled. "You haven't won all of them."

Rogue shrugged and straightened up, grabbing her stick. "Ah've won mah share."

Wolverine looked at the clock. "Bar's gonna be closin' soon."

Rogue gritted her teeth as she broke. Two balls fell into their pockets.

"Don't suppose there's anywhere else to go?" she asked distractedly.

"Why? Don't feel like crashin' yet?"

Rogue shrugged and eyed up her next shot. "Nightmares aren't really mah thing. Ah don't reckon Ah'm gonna get much sleep tonight anyway."

Wolverine frowned as she missed her shot. He walked over and examined the table.

"How long you been havin' nightmares?"

Rogue sighed. "Ah don't really remember dreamin' anything before last night. Still, Ah'm thinkin' that nightmare's gonna be back, now that it broke through." She shook her head. "Too bad. Ah do so treasure mah sleep."

Wolverine made his shot and straightened up to line up the next one. "Trust me, I know how you feel." 

He moved to shoot, but then stopped. He looked up at Rogue. Slowly, he put his cue stick down and walked over to their table along the wall. Rogue followed, curious as to his sudden change of mood.

"What's wrong?"

Wolverine looked at her. "When I say I understand, I mean it. The same thing happened to me."

Rogue knitted her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"The nightmare you had yesterday. I have the same one."

"How do you know?"

Wolverine sighed. "Alkali Lake. That's where it happened. I was an experiment is some study by the government. I have nightmares about it all the time." He met her gaze. "That's where they used the needles."

Rogue's eyes widened. "You mean . . . that nightmare . . . that stuff is real? It's not just a dream?"

Wolverine shook his head slowly. "No. It's real all right." He looked down at his beer before taking another swig.

Rogue sat down abruptly. "Christ."

"He had nothing to do with it," Wolverine said quietly.

Rogue looked at him, questions burning in her eyes. "What was the experiment about?"

Wolverine shrugged. "I don't know much about it. My memory cuts off up to about fifteen years ago. It happened before that. All I have now are flashes of memory, usually in the form of one of those nightmares."

"You think they took mah memory too?"

"Don't know."

For a few moments both of them were silent. Finally, Rogue spoke again, her voice soft with fear and dawning understanding.

"How do you handle the nightmares?"

Wolverine stared straight into her eyes. "One at a time, darlin'. One at a time."

***

_Men with glasses of champagne on trays surround her looking down. Their laughing faces seem to mock the extreme horror she can feel coursing through her swollen body. Hundreds of needles inch their way towards her naked body as she lies in a tank. She tries to scream, but no sound comes out. Suddenly, a burning sensation shoots through her body as the needles find their sheaths . . . _

Rogue screamed, shooting to a sitting position on her bed. Her heart pounded in her chest with enough force to make her feel as though it was going to burst against her ribcage. Sucking in huge breaths of air, she tried to calm down, even as her mind raced to deal with the images of her most recent nightmare. Desperately, Rogue clenched her eyes shut and tried to push them back behind the wall in her mind, but this time she failed. The images swirled around her, mocking her inability to control them. Clutching her head in her hands, she felt tears burning in her eyes. The nightmare was still so fresh in her mind that she imagined she could still feel the needles pricking her skin, and hear the men laughing at her suffering. 

Finally, with a shriek of panic, Rogue scrambled out of her bed. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as she shakily climbed into the shower. She had slept naked so she didn't have to pause to remove any clothes. Wrenching the handle to the shower, she turned the water on hot enough to scald. Standing there under the spray, she desperately tried again to force the memories back behind the wall. Again, she was unsuccessful. Sobbing, Rogue punched the shower wall. Pain shot up her arm and for a split second, Rogue could feel the memories ease away. Then, as the pain faded too quickly, the memories attacked her once again. Screaming, Rogue jumped out of the shower. 

Pulling on clothes over her still dripping body, she rushed out of her room. There was a need inside her. A drive that guided her downstairs towards the kitchen. As her eyes fell on Jean sitting at the table with Scott, Rogue's eyes glazed over. Her bare hands tensed as she walked closer.

"Good morning, Rogue," Scott greeted her cheerfully. "Would you like some breakfast?"

Rogue didn't respond, her unseeing gaze still on Jean as Scott stood up and turned his back to prepare her a plate. Reaching out, Rogue's arm extended her bare hand forward . . . 


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Forgiveness

Author: Jenny11

Disclaimer: Characters and some lines are property of Marvel. Not me.

Archive Rights: I'm flattered, just ask.

Feedback: I'll love you forever. Could also mean advance snippets between long updates.

Rating: R

Notes: Alternate Universe. Elements of comics, cartoon, and movies.

****

carmilla - Thanks for pointing out that tense thing I had before. I don't know why it turned out like that. I think my computer hates me.

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Gimpy1 - Glad you found it again! I assure you, this story is getting to the point where it's writing itself, so updates should be steady, as long as I keep getting reviews to let me know people are interested. When you say "undeveloped" did you mean "underdeveloped?" Do you think the story is moving too slow?

****

Lesley - Getting clearer? Uh-oh, they're onto me . . . 

****

DaughterofDeath - Rest assured, I will add another chapter. Any constructive criticism or comments on the story?

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Arain Rowan() - There is definitely a reason Rogue feels the need to absorb people . . .

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lurking-in-the-shadows - Thanks, I'm glad you're building empathy for her.

Time seemed to slow down. Rogue watched everything as though it was on television. Jean turned to Cyclops, her guard down. Part of Rogue's mind wondered vaguely if Jean was overly careless, relying on her telepathy to warn her of any threat in her own home. Rogue's face was devoid of emotion. Her telepathy wasn't going to help her now, she observed. Rogue didn't feel anything, but the drive to get rid of the nightmarish images hovering just inside her mind. 

Just as Rogue's bare fingers were about to make contact with Jean's face, a heavy hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Hey, darlin'."

Rogue shook her head, her eyes becoming clear once again. It was like fighting back from a deep sleep. She turned and blinked at Wolverine.

"Huh? Oh, hey, Logan."

Wolverine's face was distracted. He didn't seem to notice her confused state, and he certainly didn't seem to have noticed any sinister intent on Rogue's part.

"Hey. You busy?"

Rogue glanced back at Jean out of the corner of her eye, but the redhead was still obliviously talking to her husband. Scott seemed to have forgotten all about getting Rogue a plate of food and was wearing a goofy grin while he flirted with his wife. Rogue sighed mentally. She had a feeling Wolverine had just saved her from making a big mistake. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and smiled at him.

"Nope, not busy at all. What can Ah do for ya?"

"I wanted to talk to you," he said seriously. "Come outside with me?"

Rogue furrowed her eyebrows, perturbed at his anxious state. "Sure."

Wolverine turned and together they walked out the sliding glass door. As they headed towards the trees surrounding the property, he cleared his throat.

"Do you remember anything before you came here? Anything at all?"

"Ah gotta say, Ah'm a little tired of people askin' me that," Rogue said dubiously.

Wolverine rolled his eyes. "Just answer me."

Rogue frowned. "Not really. Ah mean, Ah'm havin' nightmares now, but Ah don't know what they mean." She looked over at him. "You still think the nightmares are flashbacks?" Her voice got quieter. "That those things really happened to me?"

Wolverine sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He stopped and turned to face her. 

"Look, I don't have any answers. I've been looking for my past for a long time, and I'm no closer than you are right now." He took a deep breath. "But I was thinking, maybe now it's time to try again."

"What do you mean?"

Wolverine met her eyes. "When you asked me how I dealt with the nightmares, I told you I took them one at a time. But the fact is, I just avoid them whenever possible. When the nightmares get to be too much, I go out, get drunk and look for someone to take it out on."

"You fight," Rogue stated.

Wolverine shrugged and looked away. "Fight, fuck, whatever. The point is, the only time I ever actually tried to find my past was way back when I first joined the X-Men. Xavier sent me to Alkali Lake." He shook his head. "I never tried again after that."

"It was hard for you too?" Rogue asked softly.

Wolverine nodded stiffly. "Let's just say there's a fight cage in a bar in Canada that still has a few dents in it."

Rogue's eyes got a faraway look in them. "A cage fight?"

Wolverine stared at her. "Yeah. Ever seen one?"

Rogue stared off into space. "A cage . . . Ah . . . Ah think Ah used to fight."

Wolverine raised an eyebrow. "You fought in cage fights? Are you sure?"

Rogue nodded slowly. "Yeah." She looked up. "Ah was good."

Wolverine considered this new information. He had to admit, though he'd never actually seen, or even heard, of a woman fighting in a cage, Rogue had the skills to give him a run for his money. There was no logical reason why she couldn't have been a cage fighter.

Wolverine took a deep breath. "Well, that might be a new place to start."

"You've never gone back to the bars you cage fought at?"

Wolverine shook his head. "Even if I had, you still might remember something I don't. If they found you at a cage fight, maybe that's where they found me." He sighed. So what do you say? Wanna give it a shot?"

Rogue looked unsure. Suddenly, she found it hard to look Wolverine in the eye.

"Hey," he said gently. "I'm not saying you have to. I know this isn't going to be easy, and if you're not ready, you don't have to go."

Rogue looked at him. "You gonna go anyway?"

Wolverine thought about it for a minute. Finally, he nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I am."

Rogue nodded. "Right. So when do we leave?"

***

"Professor, I just don't think this is a good idea," Cyclops insisted. 

Cyclops, Jean, and Professor Xavier were all sitting around in the Professor's office. Ten minutes ago, Wolverine and Rogue had informed Professor Xavier of their intent to go to Canada on a search for their past. Needless to say, Cyclops had some concerns.

"Scott, what exactly do you think is going to happen?" Jean asked rationally. She had her own concerns, but they were more towards Rogue and Wolverine's safety if they did find anything about their past. It would be traumatic for both of them, and Jean worried that they might need help.

"God only knows, Jean. What do we really now about Rogue anyway?" Cyclops dispaired.

"What do we know about Wolverine?" Jean countered. No one was saying it, but they'd gotten Wolverine much the same way they'd gotten Rogue. They'd found him in Canada after he'd been ambushed by a hulking mutant called Sabretooth. He'd come back and joined the team, but he'd always remained secretive. Like Rogue, he didn't feel comfortable discussing his past, or his failure to remember it. And like Rogue, they'd never pressed him.

Cyclops rolled his eyes under his visor. "Jean, Rogue's attacked three people since she's been here. We need to keep an eye on her. Who knows what might happen if she and Wolverine are alone together?"

Jean raised an eyebrow. "They are two consenting adults, dear."

Cyclops blushed furiously. "You know that's not what I meant." Turning away from his amused wife, the desperate team leader appealed to the Professor. "Professor, what do you think?"

Professor Xavier, who had been quiet throughout the discussion, thought very carefully before he responded. 

"I think," he began slowly. "Wolverine and Rogue stand to gain a lot from this trip. Though I think it could very well be painful, I truly feel that in the end it will be worth it."

***

Rogue looked out the truck's window as they drove through Canada. The snow was a beautiful blanket of white, glittering against the setting sun's last ray's. She sighed.

"Penny for your thoughts?" 

Rogue smiled and looked over at Wolverine. "Ah love this scenery." She turned back to the window. "Ah love snow."

"Kind of strange," Wolverine commented.

Rogue turned around in her seat again. "Why do you say that?"

Wolverine shrugged. "Nothin'. It's just with that accent of yours, I figured you were from the South. Don't get much snow down there."

Rogue thought that over. "Huh. Well, if Ah am from the South, Ah'm sure Ah always _wanted_ to see scenery like this."

Wolverine chuckled. "Yeah, okay." He looked up ahead and straightened out. "There it is."

"What?" Rogue asked, peering through the windshield.

"Laughlin' City," Wolverine said softly. 

There was a faraway look in his eyes as he looked up at the sad gathering of rundown shacks. It didn't look like much of a city to Rogue, but she kept quiet. It was entirely possible that she had spent some time here herself, and it seemed prudent to hold her comments on the surroundings in until she knew for sure whether she had frequented there.

As they walked into the bar, Rogue was hit by a cloud of smoke. The bar was dimly lit, the kind of place that made it obvious that you were there for a fuck or a fight and looks didn't much matter. Rogue sniffed the air. Blood, sweat, and a healthy whiff of alcohol assaulted her senses. She smiled. It did seem familiar. 

Wolverine walked up to the bar and ordered them a couple of drinks. As Rogue climbed up on a bar stool beside him, she cradled her beer. The cold of the glass sent a chill through her. As the amber fluid slid down her throat, Rogue felt the chill spread throughout her body. Turning her head slightly, a jar beside her caught her eye.

"You want something besides that beer?"

Startled, Rogue found herself eye to eye with the bartender. He was big and burly and didn't seem altogether pleased. Rogue realized she had been staring at his tip jar. Somehow the whole situation gave her a sense of deja vu. 

"I think she's callin' our name."

Rogue looked away from the jar, shaking herself out of her reverie, to find Wolverine smiling at her. She followed his gaze over to a battered pool table in the corner.

"Shall we?"

***

It had been too long. Wolverine took a deep breath, drawing the smoke out of his cigar and into his pervasively pink lungs. The damage healed before it was ever done, but that didn't detract from the pure enjoyment he got from the smelly thing. Exhaling just as leisurely, Wolverine executed his shot, two striped balls rocketing into their respective pockets. He allowed himself a moment of satisfaction as he straightened up and took a swig of his beer, remembering just in time to remove his cigar first.

"Playin' for keeps, are we?" 

Wolverine looked over at the source of the lilting Southern accent. Rogue was standing across the table from him, one hand wrapped around her cuestick, the other planted on her hip. Her face was slightly flushed from the alcohol and her smile was wide as she watched Wolverine contemplating her. A wolfish grin spread across his features. 

"Depends, darlin'." He dragged his eyes over her body again, this time taking care to give the swell of her breasts extra attention. "What are we playin' ta keep?"

It was Rogue's turn to grin lasciviously. She put a finger to her lips, pretending to consider his question as her eyes slid over his body. Wolverine's blood went up a few degrees under her intense scrutiny. His eyes got a little hazier as the animal inside him stepped a little closer to the front. He moved towards Rogue.

"I feel like gettin' some action," Wolverine said, his voice gruff with suggestion. 

Adrenaline tore through Rogue's body at the tone of his voice. His eyes were intense, and Rogue imagined she could see something feral deep in the amber depths. Something that wanted her. 

Before she could speak up, Wolverine shot her a smug look and sauntered past her. Turning to watch him, Rogue grinned in realization. Wolverine was heading for the cage in the back of the bar. Pool game forgotten, Rogue got up from the table and moved back for a closer table. She did so love a good fight.

Wolverine didn't waste any time. After a few words of whispered conversation with the announcer, he nodded and stepped back. The announcer seemed excited. It was obvious to him that Wolverine was raring for a fight, and his demeanor clearly suggested he was used to winning. That always made for an interesting fight. Wasting no time, he hustled the bouncers to remove the most recent loser from the cage. As the man was led, limping, out of the arena, Wolverine stepped inside. A mountain of a man stood in the center of the ring. He stood facing Wolverine, a blank look on his face, his chest heaving from his recent exertions. He watched Wolverine approach without so much as a flutter of emotion. 

Suddenly, the door to the cage slammed shut. The clash of metal against metal signaled the beginning of the fight. In a flash, the mountain man lunged for Wolverine. Long solid arms reached for his throat as the man went right for a debilitating move. This was no Marquis of Queensbury fight. This was animalistic dog-eat-dog war. Wolverine felt his adrenaline surge as he brought one fist forward into the other man's stomach, ducking low to avoid the outstretched grip. A whoosh of wind next to his ear signaled the man's sudden loss of oxygen. Swinging around, Wolverine reached over the wheezing man's back and snaked his arm around his neck. Tightening his grip, Wolverine effectively prevented him from drawing any new oxygen back into his lungs. After a few seconds, Wolverine let go, violently fighting down the animal in him that wanted to hold on. The man slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Contrary to what one might expect after an exhibition of skill, such as Wolverine's, the crowd booed loudly. The fight had been short and though Wolverine had beaten his opponent, there had been no blood. The crowd felt cheated and they yelled for their money back.

Never one to pass up a chance to make more money, the announcer bounded up to his microphone.

"Are you gonna let this man walk away with your money?!" he hollered. Shouts of "Hell no!" rang out, rattling the walls of the small bar. The announcer gestured at Wolverine. "Who among you will step up and put this man in his place?!"

An awkward silence filled the bar as everyone struggled to look tough without actually attracting the wild eyed gaze of the man in the cage. Bloodthirsty though they may be, few were stupid enough to believe they could succeed where the mountain man had failed.

"Ah wouldn't mind puttin' him in mah place."

All heads swiveled around to face the speaker. Rogue smiled from her seat at a table close to the cage. Her long legs were stretched out on the table, her chair tilted back on two legs as she cradled her beer. There was a strange spark in her eyes as she watched Wolverine turn to face her as well. 

Once again, the announcer's mind was spinning with all the possible ways he could keep as much of his money as possible. Technically, the winner at the end of the night walked away with a rather large cash sum. Rogue's suggestive comment gave him just the opening he needed. Clasping his microphone even tighter, the announcer turned to Rogue.

"You would take the Wolverine as your prize?!"

The crowd hooted and whistled. Things had just taken a very interesting turn. Rogue raised one eyebrow, giving the announcer a considering look. 

"What do you think, audience?! Should we give her a shot?!"

Thunderous applause signaled the crowd's enthusiastic approval. A path appeared in front of Rogue, clearing a way for her to approach the cage. The men turned greedy eyes to watch her as Rogue stared at Wolverine. He was still standing inside the cage, waiting for her reaction. Rogue could tell that the first so-called fight hadn't even made a dent in Wolverine. His whole body thrummed with energy, his eyes still wild with need. Rogue felt an answering call inside herself. Never breaking eye contact, she slowly slid her legs off the table and stood up. The crowd whooped and cheered as she approached the cage. As the announcer obligingly stepped back, Rogue turned and entered the cage. It clanged shut behind her and suddenly the audience grew quiet.

Like two tigers on the prowl, Wolverine and Rogue slowly began to circle one another. Wolverine felt his senses go on overload as he took in Rogue's form. As they had earlier, his eyes traveled over her body. This time, though, he wasn't looking at her body in a sexual manner. Now his eyes were searching for signs of weakness. Some hesitation that would give him the opening he needed. Slowly, deliberately, Rogue smiled.

Wolverine growled, the animal in him acknowledging her challenge. Leaping towards her, he moved for a full body tackle. Rogue ducked and used his own weight to carry him over her shoulder. He hit the floor hard, but didn't allow her to take advantage. Rolling, he swept his legs out, knocking hers out from under her. Rogue twisted in midair, trying to keep from landing on her back. Wolverine dove under her, getting his arms underneath her and holding on. With her arms pinned to her sides, Rogue couldn't break the hold. Striking down with her legs, Rogue knocked him off balance. Together, they tumbled sideways. Wolverine turned them as they fell, so that he landed with his body on top of Rogue's. Breathing heavily, he delighted in the feel of her trapped underneath him. Holding still, Rogue found herself staring up into his eyes. The light of battle made them seem glazed and animalistic. Pinned underneath his metal encased skeleton, Rogue was helpless to move. Her mind sought some way to regain the upper hand.

Rogue thrust her body upward, grinding herself against Wolverine. His eyes widened as his own body responded, pushing down for more friction. Rogue bit back a gasp at the sensations that shot through her. Deep inside her, she felt a beast of her own raging to be released. Her eyes glazed over and she snarled. Taking advantage of Wolverine's aroused state, she twisted her body sharply, smoothly rolling them onto their sides. She was about to break his hold, but it was too late. Wolverine's beast was in total control and there was no way she was getting out of this that easy. Tightening his grip on her until it was almost painful, Wolverine rolled slightly bringing her back underneath him. Before Rogue could twist out of the way, his mouth clamped down on hers.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Forgiveness  
  
Author: Jenny11  
  
Disclaimer: Characters and some lines are property of Marvel. Not me.  
  
Archive Rights: I'm flattered, just ask.  
  
Feedback: I'll love you forever. Could also mean advance snippets between long updates.  
  
Rating: NC-17 (you've been warned)  
  
Notes: Alternate Universe. Elements of comics, cartoon, and movies.

kili-2 - Lol, okay.

Immortalatk - Of course not!

Lesley - Yep. After all, it's my favorite pairing.

DaughterofDeath - Okay.

lilmiss - Thanks, I'll try.

ally - Thanks, I'm working on more as we speak.

Benjidog - Your question should be answered in this chapter.

Gimpy1 - Rogue and Wolverine's pasts will be developed more soon.

Oracale - Thanks, I thought so.

Kimberly - Glad you like it, alternate realities are my forte.

Sweetpup - Thank you, I'll try not to take so long between updates.

lurking-in-the-shadows - Glad you noticed. I believe everyone has a bit of a beast in them.

Syd - I am SO sorry this update took so long. I went home for spring break and I just can't work at home.

The crowd held their collective breath as the fight in front of them took a sexual turn. Wolverine was ravaging his opponent's mouth as though he planned to devour her. The savagery of the fight was still present, making the display seem all the more carnal in its intensity. In that moment, it seemed as if they all shared an understanding that if they were absolutely silent, they would be able to watch this interesting turn of events play out.

Beside the cage, the announcer looked on with his beady little eyes, his weasel-like brain racing with the monetary possibilities of this performance. People had shelled out a lot of money to witness these two strangers fight. It boggled his mind to think of how much they would pay to see them fuck. 

***

The whole room seemed to spin out of control as Rogue felt Wolverine's tongue demand entrance to her mouth, running along the silky insides of her cheeks and teasing her to respond. Desire shot through her as she strained to put more of her body in contact with his. Wolverine growled as he felt her efforts and redoubled his own, running his hands roughly up and down her body. His senses were reeling as her arousal became more and more evident. Her body began to respond in earnest and Wolverine willingly rose to the occasion.

In the course of their hot pursuit, Wolverine's hands found themselves fondling Rogue's breasts through her clothing. Frustrated at the cloth barrier, Wolverine shoved his hands underneath her shirt. Just as he was about to take her tender flesh in his hands, part of his mind howled in outrage. Tearing his head away from his conquest, Wolverine's eyes fell on the crowd watching them. There was no trace of reason in their wild depths, only the animalistic urge to claim his mate. The only thing stopping him from doing so right now, was the awareness that strange men were bearing witness. Wolverine's inner beast raged against the thought. No man would have even the slightest glimpse of his mate without paying dearly for it. Snarling at the other males in the crowd, Wolverine stood up abruptly, pulling Rogue's writhing form up with him. Slinging her over his shoulder, the animal in him relishing her growling protests, Wolverine stormed out of the cage. For a split second, the announcer considered trying to stop him, but one look into the other man's eyes convinced him that it would be a dire mistake, and most likely his last one. Disappointed, the greedy man was helpless to do anything but watch as his chance at thousands strode out the door.

***

"Fred, are you paying attention?"

Fred's head snapped up as his boss's voice thundered out of his office. The office was only a few feet away with a thin wall separating the hotel manager from his young employee and Fred could hear the irritation in the older man's voice.

"Yes, sir," he responded quickly. He looked around to make sure no one was indeed waiting for his attentions. He honestly hadn't been paying attention and was pleasantly surprised that his laziness hadn't been witnessed.

When his boss failed to yell a response, Fred sighed in relief. Settling back in his flimsy wooden chair, his hands linked behind his head, he proceeded to fantasize about Miss. October. Working at a hotel had turned out to be a relatively boring job, and he enjoyed these free moments he had.

Suddenly, the doors to the small hotel slammed into the walls as they were throw open by a particularly enthusiastic guest. Fred snapped to attention as a short hairy man strode into the hotel with a beautiful woman thrown over his shoulder. Fred's jaw dropped. The woman was twisting against the man's grip, her face obscured by a beautiful cascade of white-streaked auburn hair. The curves of her body were painfully obvious in her position and Fred almost had to physically pick his jaw up off the floor.

"Uh, c-can I help you sir?" he stuttered, hopefully glancing at the woman again.

The man didn't even look at him. The only acknowledgment of Fred's presence was the fifty dollars the man tossed onto the counter as he strode past.

"Sir?!" Fred shouted, jumping up. "Don't you want your key?"

The man didn't respond. As he disappeared up one of the stairwells, Fred pondered his fortune. He couldn't help but wonder if his boss would even notice the money wasn't in the register, seeing as how the man hadn't even waited for a room number or key . . . 

WARNING: GRAPHIC SEX AHEAD. IF THIS OFFENDS YOU, STOP HERE. E-MAIL ME AND I WILL SEND YOU A VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER WITHOUT THE GRAPHIC MATERIAL.

***

Rogue's head was spinning by the time she felt her back hit the bed. Reaching through the dizzying effects of Wolverine's touch, she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him against her. Wolverine's large frame fell heavily on top of her, his hands resuming their rough exploration of her body as though they'd never stopped. Rogue gasped as he pushed her shirt up past her shoulders, his fingers grazing her nipples. She moaned and threaded her hands through his hair, guiding his head downwards. Wolverine snarled, but allowed her to guide him, his mouth finding purchase on one breast. Rogue squirmed as his tongue snaked around her nipple, his teeth roughly teasing the sensitive skin. 

"Wolverine," she gasped. 

Wolverine growled in response, his mouth moving up to capture hers again. His hands grasped the band of her jeans, muscles flexing as he ripped them down to the crotch in a single motion. Rogue wriggled out of them impatiently, needing to feel his touch everywhere on her body. Wolverine snarled as his fingers found the wetness between her thighs. Sliding back and forth, he coated his fingers with her before slipping inside. Rogue cried out as his fingers found her g-spot, mercilessly rubbing against the sensitive site of nerve endings. Growling, she thrust upwards, urging him to increase the level of intimacy. Wolverine felt the best inside him howl in satisfaction as he pleased her. Removing his fingers, he ignored her moans of protest. Quickly divesting himself of his own clothing, he freed himself from the confines of his jeans. He placed himself at her entrance, not bothering to fight his instincts. With a savage roar, he thrust inside her, relishing the way she tightened around his cock. There was no gentleness in his touch, nor emotion in his eyes as he continued to pound into her, rolling his hips to get as deep inside of her as he could. Rogue met him thrust for thrust, her own beast relishing the ferocity of their coupling. Grabbing him by the shoulders, she ran her hands over his back, her nails making angry red lines on his skin. Wolverine growled his appreciation, her actions urging him on. Suddenly, Rogue felt her body tense as her pleasure began to peak. Digging her nails into his skin, she gasped and shut her eyes against the onslaught of sensation. Her body contracted around Wolverine and he gritted his teeth as he approached his own climax. Finally, he heard Rogue scream as her orgasm broke. Howling his satisfaction Wolverine followed right behind her, darting his head down to sink his teeth into the flesh of her neck as he came.

As the last wave of pleasure washed over him, Wolverine collapsed on top of Rogue. For a few moments they remained like that, their heavy breathing slowly returning to normal. Finally, Wolverine rolled off of her, one arm reaching out to pull her to him. Her back curled up against his chest as Wolverine held on possessively to his mate. Rogue sighed contentedly. Exhausted, they drifted off to sleep.

***

The next morning, Rogue woke up to find herself still in Wolverine's protective embrace. For a moment, she relished the warmth of his body against hers. For the first time in several days she felt at peace, comfortable with her surroundings. Last night had been nightmare free, the exhausted sleep offering her a reprieve from the images that had plagued her. Rogue sighed. She could almost ignore the tiny thought that something was amiss.

Wolverine shifted behind her, his arm tightening around her waist. Nuzzling her neck, he took a deep breath and stretched. Rogue smiled as she felt his muscles shifting under the skin against her back. 

"What's so amusing?" Wolverine rumbled.

"You." 

Rogue turned over to face him. His eyes were still hazy with sleep as he studied her. Impulsively, she leaned forward and kissed him. Unlike last night, this kiss was soft and gentle. Wolverine responded in kind, his lips sliding against hers in feather-light movements. When they finally parted, Rogue smiled. 

"That was nice."

Wolverine grinned. "You're welcome."

Rogue slapped him playfully. Rolling onto her back, she stretched languidly. The uninterrupted sleep had done wonders for her mood. Wolverine propped his head up on his hand as he watched her. His eyes roamed over her body, pausing over the exposed flesh at the top of the blanket. Something was nagging at the back of his mind.

"Hey," he said suddenly.

"Hey what?" Rogue asked, sighing. Her eyes began to drift closed again as she enjoyed the moment.

"You never mentioned that you could control your powers."

Rogue froze. Opening her eyes, she met Wolverine's steady gaze. The tiny thought that had been bugging her earlier leapt to the forefront of her mind. Could she control her powers? Her mind raced to search for some scrap of memory that would help her find the answer. The blocks in her mind stood there silently, almost daring her to look behind them. Rogue shied away from them, choosing instead to think back on her time with the X-Men. Vague images of a dark room and a young girl floated back to her. As Rogue strained to make sense of the hazy pieces, another memory slammed into her. She had absorbed Wolverine in the infirmary. She winced.

"Hey," Wolverine said quietly. "What's goin' on?"

Rogue looked away. "Ah don't remember."

Wolverine's face remained impassive. "You say that a lot."

Rogue closed her eyes. "Ah know," she whispered.

Wolverine thought about it for a while. He didn't know how much Rogue remembered about absorbing Kitty. It was possible she remembered it and simply didn't want to talk about it. Then again, it was equally possible that she was too out of it at the time to remember. After all, she had just woken up after being rescued from Mojo's televised prison. He thought back to when Xavier had had him let her absorb him.

"When I touched you in the lab, the transfer didn't start right away," he commented finally. 

Hearing his words, Rogue seemed to tense up. "Ah don't wanna talk about that," she said abruptly. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something about absorbing Wolverine that bothered her tremendously. 

"What's wrong?" Wolverine prodded. 

When Rogue didn't answer right away, he reached out to lift her head. She flinched away from him. Wolverine frowned. 

"A few minutes ago you were fine. What's wrong?"

Rogue didn't answer. Her eyes stared off into space, not seeming to see anything. Wolverine's mind was racing. He searched his mind for some idea as to what might be bothering her.

"Is it the sex?" he asked finally. He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I didn't mean—"

"It was just sex, Wolverine. It doesn't have to mean anything. In any case, Ah don't expect anything from you and Ah'm certainly not gonna fall apart over it."

Wolverine was slightly taken aback. That wasn't the response he was used to from the women he bedded. It was the response he was used to giving and hearing the words coming from the woman was slightly unsettling. Shaking it off, he thought back over the past day or so. An image of Rogue, wet and bedraggled floated into his mind's eye. That day he had come to her to suggest this trip, he had found her downstairs with Scott and Jean. The two lovebirds had been oblivious to others, as usual. Now that he thought about it, Rogue had seemed almost in a trance. He hadn't noticed at the time, but Wolverine was starting to wonder if he had unwittingly interrupted something. Perturbed, Wolverine decided the best plan of action would be to wait. Quizzing Rogue wasn't getting him any answers.

"All right," he said finally. "You don't wanna talk, that's fine." He sat up, throwing the covers off. "Might as well get something done today. I'm gonna take a shower."

Rogue watched as Wolverine closed the bathroom door behind him. Somehow, his abruptness had hurt. Considering his total comfort with walking to the bathroom completely naked, she suspected that shutting the bathroom door had been meant to keep her out. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 

Everything seemed to be getting out of control. She knew Wolverine's patience for her lack of answers was wearing thin. She sighed. Last night had gotten totally out of control. Rogue had meant what she said about not expecting anything from him. The sex had been great. Rogue felt a rush as she recalled the wild abandon that had consumed them last night. If that bar hadn't been part of her memory before, it certainly was now. She smiled as she remembered how Wolverine had carried her to the room. He'd used his sensitive hearing to listen for sounds of occupancy, slicing the handle off the door of the first empty room. She giggled. He was definitely losing his deposit.

The water stopped in the bathroom and Rogue's good mood left. Any minute now, Wolverine was going to come out of that bathroom, and she still had no answers to offer him. She pushed her hair back from her face. Steeling herself, she looked at the situation logically. Obviously, she had not absorbed Wolverine last night. If she had, he would have lost consciousness. Thus, there were only two possibilities. Number one: she could control her powers. Contrary to what one might think, this was not a pleasant possibility. If Rogue could control her powers, that had to mean that she had absorbed that girl on purpose. Rogue didn't want to ponder what her reasons may have been for that. A cold feeling in her heart told her that whatever her motivation had been, it had struck her again the other morning. Rogue could still see Jean standing in front of her, her own hand outstretched.

Shaking her head, Rogue forced herself to consider another possibility. Xavier and the other X-Men had told her Mojo kept her in a collar while she was his prisoner. A collar that kept her powers on all the time. Maybe, her powers were simply weak, now that they were finally being permitted a break. That would explain why they hadn't kicked in when Wolverine touched her. The first time, he had been concentrating on letting her absorb him. Last night, nothing had happened.

Her train of thought was cut off as Wolverine emerged from the bathroom. Taking a deep breath, Rogue spoke.

"Ah still don't have an answer. But Ah have some ideas."

Wolverine turned to look at her. He regarded her silently for a few moments before nodding finally. 

"All right." He gestured towards the bathroom with his head. "Why don't you get a shower. I'm gonna go get you some different clothes. You can tell me about your ideas on the way."

Rogue nodded thoughtfully at the mention of new clothes. She'd almost forgotten he'd destroyed her other ones. Suddenly she frowned.

"On the way? On the way to where?" she asked.

Wolverine shook his head. "Get a shower. I'll be right back." He walked out the door, closing the mangled wood behind him. If Rogue didn't remember anything about Canada, he didn't want to prejudice her by telling her anything ahead of time. First, he would see if she remembered anything on her own. Then, maybe he would share what he knew of his past with her. After all, they were still working on the assumption that their pasts were connected somehow.

***

Rogue watched the scenery fly by the truck's window. They had left Laughlin City and were a little ways down a narrow backroad. Tall bare trees lined the sides of the road, giving it an abandoned feel to it. Rogue felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. There was something eerily familiar about this area. She turned to Wolverine.

"So what exactly is it we're looking for?"

Wolverine kept his eyes on the road. "There are very few places I remember. Alkali Lake and that bar are two of them." He nodded ahead. "Up here is the third." He glance over at Rogue. "I don't really expect this place to look familiar to you. Still, worth a shot."

Rogue felt her heart beat a little quicker as Wolverine slowed down. Up ahead, there was a huge tree trunk to the side of the road. Wolverine got out, striding over to sit on the fallen tree. Rogue watched him with trepidation. Slowly, she took off her seatbelt and opened her door. Slipping onto the ground, Rogue looked around her. The feeling of familiarity was getting stronger. She didn't like it.

"What happened here?" she asked.

Wolverine shrugged. "This is where the X-Men found me."

Rogue frowned. "Found you?"

Wolveirne nodded. "Yeah. I don't remember much about that day. Matter of fact, I remember nothing before that day. The Xavier said they found me lying on the side of the road, practically dead." He turned away. "I always figured this must be near the place they held me."

Rogue didn't have to ask who held him. Wolverine subconsciously rubbed his knuckles.

"Ah thought . . . Ah mean . . . Alkali Lake?"

Wolverine nodded. "Yeah, that's what I could never figure out. Xavier's information all pointed to Alkali Lake as the place that did this to me. Hell, the tank they held me in is still there." He shook his head. "Still, what else could have done it?"

Rogue shivered. "Did what?"

Wolverine turned to look at her. "Almost killed me. I heal fast, it takes a lot to knock me out. I was practically dead for weeks. No human could have done that to me."

Rogue felt the icy grip of fear around her heart. "What if humans weren't the ones who did it?" she whispered. "What if it was a mutant? What if that mutant tracked you down here?"

She looked up at the trees. Her eyes had a wild look in them and Wolverine immediately stood up and began to move towards her.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would they go through all the trouble of tracking me down just to leave me for dead?"

Rogue didn't answer. The trees were starting to look ominous. They seemed to be reaching out to her, trying to trap her. She stepped back.

"Something's wrong," she insisted. "Ah know this place." Her voice grew quiet. "Ah was attacked here. Attacked by someone . . . something . . . horrible."

Wolverine strained his ears to hear her. Her voice was trailing off and she was starting to shake. Her eyes were glazed and unseeing, her face blank except for a vague look of dismay. He took another step forward.

"Hey," he said softly. "Calm down. Tell me what you—"

Wolverine didn't get to finish his sentence. Suddenly, Rogue eyes widened. Her mouth opened in a bloodcurdling scream. Wolverine jumped forward, reaching for her. She stared at him as though he was holding a butcher's knife and threw up her arms. Her hands were balled into fists as she held them out in front of her, warding him off. Before, Wolverine could react, it was over. As suddenly as she had started, Rogue stopped screaming. Wolverine dove forward just in time to catch her as she fainted.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Forgiveness  
  
Author: Jenny11  
  
Disclaimer: Characters and some lines are property of Marvel. Not me.  
  
Archive Rights: I'm flattered, just ask.  
  
Feedback: I'll love you forever. Could also mean advance snippets between long updates.  
  
Rating: R  
  
Notes: Alternate Universe. Elements of comics, cartoon, and movies.  


****

WantingDreams - Awesome, huh? Thanks!

****

Lesley() - Thanks for waiting!

****

lurking-in-the-shadows - I never said she could control them . . .

****

Gimpy1 - Glad you liked it. I'm always nervous about writing sex scenes.

****

Roguechere - Wow, thanks. I'm pretty sure no one's thought of doing exactly what I'm doing before. You'll have to let me know if I live up to that. 

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. It just seemed like people were losing interest.

__

"No! No! Don't, please!"

Rogue watched in horror as Wolverine's body twitched and his eyes rolled back in his head.

"Let him go! Let him go, let him go . . ."

Rogue screamed as her attacker increased the pressure against the back of her head. She felt like she was drowning, the sounds of Wolverine's struggle panicking her further. Finally, she stopped struggling and her body surrendered. The blackness was almost blissful as it closed over her. 

"Rogue? Rogue, wake up!"

Rogue whimpered in her sleep as Wolverine leaned over her, trying to shake her awake. After she had lost consciousness, which he was starting to think was a secondary mutant power of hers, he had brought her to a new hotel. Sitting in a chair beside her bed, he had been waiting for her to wake up for about an hour.

"Rogue, come on, darlin', open your eyes," he coaxed.

Rogue's eyelids fluttered. Wolverine sighed in relief, but it didn't last. As soon as Rogue saw him she shot up in bed, staring at him with her mouth and eyes wide open.

"You're alive," she whispered. 

Wolverine frowned. "Yeah. You okay?"

Rogue stared at him for a few more seconds. Shock and fear shone in her eyes as she looked him over. Wolverine remained still and tried his best to look reassuring. Slowly, but surely, she seemed to relax.

"Ah had a nightmare." 

Wolverine nodded. "I figured. You were thrashin' around in your sleep. What was your nightmare about?" he prodded.

"It was all so hazy, but still so real. It felt like it was really happening again."

"Again?" Wolverine perked up.

Rogue nodded absently. "Yeah. Ah think Ah was relivin' what happened to me at that spot you took me to. The one where the X-Men found you." She released her death grip on the bed and folded her hands in her lap. "You were there."

Wolverine leaned forward, his heart pounding. "What happened, Rogue?"

Rogue's eyes darted side to side, her throat working hard to swallow past the lump. "Ah could see your face. It was hurtin' you."

"It? What's 'it.'?" Wolverine tried to stay calm, but his pulse was pounding. This was the closest he'd ever been to finding something really substantial about his past. 

"Ah don't know." Rogue frowned. "There were two, Ah think. Someone or something was squeezing mah head. Ah could hear you struggling with someone." She looked up at him. "Ah couldn't see their faces. It was like a blur every time Ah tried to look at them."

"Did they say anything?" Wolverine suggested.

Rogue frowned. "Ah could hear people talking. It sounded like there were other prisoners." Rogue shuddered.

"Rogue, come on, what else?" Wolverine demanded. "Think!"

Rogue shook her head helplessly. "That's it. That's all Ah can remember."

"Dammit," Wolverine swore. He threw himself back in his chair. Rogue jumped as he released his claws into the wall.

"Ah'm sorry, Wolverine," she said miserably. "Ah wish Ah could tell you more, but it just wasn't that clear."

Wolverine fought down the harsh words that sprang to his throat. He knew it wasn't her fault if she couldn't remember, but it frustrated them that Rogue seemed to hold so many clues to his own past. Clues he couldn't get to. He took a deep breath and shook his head.

"It's all right." He sighed. "It's not your fault."

Rogue felt her heart sink as she watched him stand up. His claws hung at his sides, forgotten in his disappointment. The wicked blades looked painful, protruding from his hands like shrapnel. Someone had made him suffer and it was possible that the same people had attacked Rogue. She swallowed hard. It was up to her to give Wolverine some closure. Nothing would ever make it better for him, but maybe knowing would help him sleep at night.

"Maybe Xavier can help."

Wolverine turned to look at her. "What?"

"Ah said, maybe Xavier can help. With mah memory." Wolverine still looked doubtful, but Rogue plunged on. "Ah mean, the memories are there, in mah head. He's the most powerful telepath in the world, he's gotta be able to help somehow."

Wolverine shook his head slowly. "I don't think so. Wheels has tried to help me recover my memories and never had any luck. It's like someone erased them."

"But you remember some things." Rogue bit her lip. "You remember the needles."

Wolverine's jaw tightened. She was right. Maybe Xavier could help.

"All right," he agreed. He turned to Rogue, his claws slipping back into his flesh with a metallic hiss. "Let's go see a man about a memory."

***

Xavier was apprehensive as he listened to Rogue explain what she wanted him to do. Her body was tense and her eyes flickered side to side. She was nervous about something and Xavier suspected she had every right to be.

"Rogue, I will help you in any way you can. However, I want you to be absolutely sure that you are comfortable with it. Letting someone into your mind is difficult for many people and if you're not truly all right with it, it could be dangerous for both of us."

Rogue shook her head. "Ah'm ready, Professor. Ah want mah memories back."

Professor Xavier watched her closely. "What is it you expect to remember?"

Rogue looked taken aback for a second. Frowning, she considered the question.

"Ah expect that Ah'll remember who did what to me and Wolverine."

Xavier's face remained impassive. "What makes you think you remember something about the experimentation project that Wolverine does not?"

"Ah remember when they attacked us."

Professor Xavier frowned. "Attacked you?"

"Yeah. Wolverine took me to where you found him. Ah remember us bein' attacked there."

Professor Xavier was silent for a moment. The more Rogue spoke to him, the more he was convinced his suspicions were right.

"Rogue, you realize that the memories you want to unlock will not be pleasant."

Rogue nodded slowly. Her nervousness seemed to increase.

Xavier looked her in the eye. "We are all here for you. Both you and Wolverine. Remember that."

Rogue looked at him curiously. His attitude was making her think he already knew what they were going to find in her head.

"Ah understand, Professor. Thank you," she said finally.

Xavier nodded. "Are you ready to start?"

Rogue nodded. "What do we do now?"

"Why don't you lie down?" He gestured to the couch beside his desk. 

Rogue followed his directions. Settling comfortably onto the couch, she leaned back and closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths. She could hear Xavier come up beside her. Suddenly, Rogue felt her body go limp. Opening her eyes, she realized with a start that she was no longer in Professor Xavier's office.

_"What the--?"_

"It's all right, Rogue. We're in your mind."

Rogue looked around. She was standing on something solid, but there was no ground that she could see. Hazy fog-like smoke hung around her on all sides.

"Ah always thought Ah had more class than this," Rogue joked.

She couldn't see the Professor anywhere, but suddenly she heard his voice again.

"Rogue, do you see anything?"

Rogue looked around. For a second, she swore she could see shadows flitting around her. When she tried to focus on them, they moved quickly in the other direction. Following them, Rogue found herself standing in front of a solid stone wall.

"Ah see a wall."

Xavier's voice floated back to her. "Rogue, that wall is all that's standing between you and your memories. Can you find a way past it?"

Rogue tilted her head to the side, studying the wall. Tentatively, she put her hands out on the wall. It wavered underneath her touch. Rogue gasped as it suddenly stiffened. A shock ran through her arms and she jerked away from it as though it'd burned her.

"Rogue, don't be afraid. Nothing behind that wall can hurt you. You must keep trying. The only thing hurting you is your fear."

Rogue swallowed hard, staring at the wall.

"This is your mind, Rogue. You can do anything you want here," Xavier hinted.

As if he had deliberately sent the thought into her head, Rogue suddenly knew what to do. Concentrating, she pictured herself flying up and over the wall. Sure enough, her feet left what she had perceived to be the ground and suddenly Rogue found herself looking down behind the wall. Floating down, she landed in a field of snow. Off in the distance there was a small wooden cabin.

"Ah'm home," she whispered. She smiled excitedly. "There's a village not far from here. Mah dad raised me here. When he died, Ah inherited the house." She giggled. "Ah remember."

Suddenly, the scenery around her faded. Opening her eyes, Rogue found herself back in the Professor's office, lying on the couch. She lifted her head and looked over at him.

"Professor, what happened?"

Professor Xavier turned away. "You broke through the wall, Rogue. I don't want to go too far all at once. Why don't you get some rest and we'll continue tomorrow?"

Rogue frowned. He wasn't looking her in the eye.

"Professor, Ah remembered mah childhood."

"I saw."

"What's wrong?"

Professor Xavier sighed. "Rogue, weren't you born in the South?"

Rogue shrugged. "Guess not. Don't reckon there's much snow down there, and there was tons of it where Ah grew up."

"What about your accent?" Xavier asked evenly.

Rogue paused. "Maybe Ah picked it up somewhere else." Suddenly, a thought hit her. "Maybe that's where they took me." She looked at the Professor. "Could there be another complex in the South? Like the one at Alkali Lake?"

Professor Xavier rubbed his temples. "I really think the best thing right now is for you to get some rest, Rogue. Take some time to think things through. See if you remember anything else."

Rogue looked hurt. She had come to Xavier for help and he was doing anything but. He didn't seem the least bit interested in what she thought and he questioned everything she had just seen with her own eyes.

"Maybe you're right," she said woodenly. She stood up. "Ah think Ah'll just go to bed."

"I think that's a good idea."

Professor Xavier watched as Rogue left his office, not missing the disappointed look on her face. Part of him wanted to stop her, to tell her of his suspicions. Still, he knew that harsh realities were best discovered by the individual. Telling her now would only hurt her more. He sighed. Summoning Jean, he steeled himself for what came next.

***

Rogue shuffled her feet forlornly as she made her way to her room. She had been so excited about regaining some of her memory, but the Professor's lack of enthusiasm had put a damper on that. Now that she thought about it, her entire reason for going to see the Professor was to get some information she could take to Wolverine. Now that her initial excitement had worn off, Rogue was left with the realization that she had accomplished the equivalent of nothing. She didn't know anything more about what had happened to her and Wolverine than she had before meeting with the Professor. She stopped at her door, leaning her head against the solid wood. 

"What am Ah gonna tell Wolverine?" she moaned.

"You could start with what happened with Xavier."

Rogue straightened up at the sound of the voice. Turning she saw Wolverine standing a few feet away. Rogue mentally kicked herself. She must have been really out of it to not have noticed his presence. 

"Hey," she said hesitantly. 

"Hey yourself." Wolverine looked at her curiously. He could see she was uncomfortable about something and part of him hoped that she had learned something new.

"What happened with Wheels?" he asked, nonchalantly.

"Ah didn't learn anything," Rogue said bluntly. "At least not anything worthwhile. Ah mean, Ah thought Ah was doin' really well, but then the Professor just kicked me out and basically told me that rememberin' mah childhood wasn't shit."

Wolverine raise an eyebrow in surprise at her emotional response. He had expected that she may need some support after her session, but he'd expected to be comforting someone upset about learning disturbing information. Not to comfort someone who was upset about . . . anything else. He frowned. He was pretty sure manly men did not discuss emotions.

"Um, wanna get drunk and talk about it?"

Rogue looked at him. For a second she seemed to weigh the idea. Finally, she nodded.

"Yeah. Ah think Ah do."

***

"So, there was this log cabin, right? By the woods with this huge field of snow all around it." Rogue took another shot, slamming the little class on the floor. "Damn nice place to come from, Ah'm sure."

Wolverine nodded, finishing his own shot. "Damn fine," he agreed.

Rogue glared at her glass as she refilled it. "Ah mean, Ah may not have remembered anything important, but it's better than nothin'. Ah mean, it's a step right?

"Right." Wolverine refilled his own glass. He paused, holding it in front of his mouth a moment. "I mean, I don't even remember that much. I have no idea where I was born, or raised." He took the shot.

Rogue contemplated his words. They'd been drinking for a few hours now and both of them were getting fairly buzzed.

"You don't remember anything? Not even a little snippet?" she asked. Somehow it struck her as odd that she would be able to remember things and Wolverine couldn't. Hadn't they been tortured by the same people? A thought was trying to swim through the alcohol, but her brain was refusing visitors at the moment. "That's sad," she finished.

Wolverine raised his eyebrows. "I don't need pity."

Rogue snorted. "Good thing. Ah don't feel that bad for you." With that said, she flopped down on her side, her head bumping against the carpet.

Wolverine chuckled, closing his eyes as he took another shot. The hot amber liquid burned down his throat, a pleasant sensation in his opinion. 

"You know," he said conversationally, his words slightly slurred by the alcohol. "Even though I don't remember shit about my past, I get this feeling around you. Like I've known you forever." He paused. "You ever feel like that?"

All he got in response was a soft snore. Rogue's eyes were closed in an alcohol induced sleep, her body sprawled on the floor next to the now-empty bottle of tequila and shotglass. Wolverine nodded.

"Yeah. That's what I figured." 

***

_A warm breeze wafted across the front porch of the stately southern home, ruffling the hair of the young woman. She sat in a rocking chair, her eyes closed and head leaning back, a mint julep held loosely in her right hand. She was humming softly to herself and she rocked back and forth. _

"What the hell is this?!"

The young woman's eyes shot open, terror etched in their depths. The hand holding her drink contracted, shattering the glass and drawing tiny lines of blood on her pale skin.

"Daddy!" she gasped, quickly dropping to the porch to clean up her mess.

"Don't you dare speak to me, you filthy lush!" 

In a few large strides the large redneck man had crossed the porch. Reaching down, he grabbed a handful of white-striped brown hair in his fist, hauling his daughter to her feet.

"Thirteen years old and all ready you think you have a right to my liquor?"

The girl shrieked as his hand swung at her, striking her face with enough force to snap her head out of his grip. She fell to the porch with a sob, broken glass cutting into her bare legs and making little tears in her sundress.

"Daddy, Ah'm sorry!"

"Ah said don't you call me that!" 

Furious, the man reached down, once again grasping his child by the hair.

"No daughter of mine turns out to be a lush and a slut! What's this Ah've been hearing about you and that Cody boy?"

When she didn't answer him immediately, he snarled in her face, shaking her by her hair.

"No answer? Well, Ah guess we'll just have to beat the evil out of you all over again, huh?

Releasing her hair, he roughly began to remove his belt. The girl stood frozen to her spot, too terrified to move. Finally, his belt raised high above his head, her father reached out and grabbed a hold of her bare arm, turning her to face the other way. Suddenly, the girl heard the hiss of the belt through the air. Terror welled up in her and even though she'd been through this enough times to know what to expect, neither her or her father could have predicted what happened next.

Pain exploded in her head. Just as she lost consciousness, the young victim couldn't tell if the screams echoing in her ears were hers . . . or her father's.

A huge gasp tore from Rogue's throat as she shot up in bed. Frantically, her eyes darted around, desperately seeking something to anchor her to the present and pull her out of the horrible past she had just relived.

"No, no, no, no, no," she murmured over and over. "It can't be."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she concentrated on searching her mind. As she had feared, the mental block that had previously stood so strong in her mind was shattered. Images and sounds echoed in her head and Rogue choked back a sob. The images in her head had been real. She remembered. Her father.

Rogue shook her head, trying to shake the image out. Her body began to tremble as she desperately tried to recall the memories she had remembered earlier with Professor Xavier. The ones with the snow and the cabin. The childhood that hadn't been laced in pain. Finally she found them, just as strong as the other memory had been.

"Who am Ah?" Rogue sobbed, her mind spinning as the two lives battled for dominance in her psyche.

Suddenly another image popped into her head. She saw claws, shiny and metallic shooting out from hands held in front of her. All of a sudden everything crashed into place with frightening clarity. A jagged scream tore from Rogue's throat as she stared at her hands. 

Beside her, Wolverine jerked back into consciousness. He had put Rogue in his bed before turning in himself and her screams had pierced his sensitive hearing like javelins.

"Rogue?" he mumbled. 

Before he could turn around to face her, Rogue's bare hand flailed out, connecting with his face. It felt as though someone had jabbed him with a live wire. Wolverine felt his body jerk and then the worst pain he'd ever felt as his energy was ripped from his body. Rogue's screams reverberated in his ears as he fell to the floor.

"No!" Rogue screamed, clutching her head. "Noooooo!"

The door to the room burst open, Cyclops and Storm rushing inside. Rogue's eyes were wild as she leapt for Cyclops, her bare hands making contact with his face. Like Wolverine had moments before, Cyclops twitched as his energy was torn from his body. Jean screamed as her husband hit the floor, having just arrived at the door. With a mere thought, Storm summoned a wind, blowing the blankets off the bed and wrapping them around Rogue. A blast of ruby red energy shot from the blanket, destroying it and revealing the madwoman underneath. Just as Rogue was about to emerge, turning the stolen and uncontrolled optic blasts on the X-Men, Jean reached out, throwing up a telekinetic shield. 

"I can't hold her for long! Storm, hit her!" Jean screamed.

With all the majesty of the goddess she was believed to be, Storm summoned a bolt of lightening, striking at the shield just as Jean dropped it. The bolt hit Rogue full on, the shock overwhelming her already overburdened system. Without a sound, she fell to the floor unconscious.

As the room fell quiet, Jean rushed to Cyclops' side.

"Is she all right?" Storm asked solemnly, landing beside her.

"I don't know, Storm. Just call Colossus to help us get her, Wolverine, and Cyclops down to the Med lab and for Christ's sake don't touch her skin."

Jean gritted her teeth as she used her telekinesis to lift Rogue's prone form. When the Professor had spoken to her earlier, he had told her he wanted them all on alert. When he'd refused to divulge any details, Jean had accepted his warning. Now, in the aftermath of the night's chaotic events, Jean felt betrayed. As her teammates carried her unconscious husband down to the Med lab, Jean's mouth was set in a grim line. It was time to get some answers.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Forgiveness  
  
Author: Jenny11  
  
Disclaimer: Characters and some lines are property of Marvel. Not me.  
  
Archive Rights: I'm flattered, just ask.  
  
Feedback: I'll love you forever. Could also mean advance snippets between long updates.

  
Rating: R ************** **(there is a new site: nfiction.com that allows NC-17 ratings. It is exactly like fanfiction.net. I will be posting all of my work there where they will have proper NC-17 ratings where necessary!!!!) *******************

  
Notes: Alternate Universe. Elements of comics, cartoon, and movies.

Sorry this chapter is a little short. I feel like I rushed it a little. I just couldn't type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. Does it seem too rushed to you? Should I flesh it out some? Can you think of anything you want me to add to it?  


Syd() - Glad you liked it, sorry it took so long.

Lesley() - It should be pretty interesting.

Gimpy1 - Congratulations, you nailed it. Now I guess I just have to wrap up the loose ends.

Fluffy-Maru-Kouga-Chan - I already have an idea for my next story!

Roguechere - The X-Men are all about second chances.

lurking-in-the-shadows - Anyone who hits their child is an ass.

Punkcatwitissues - Glad you're enjoying it!

Loki*-*TheGrimScreamer - That would be twisted.

Lily - Thank you!

Professor Xavier took a deep breath as he watched Jean, Storm, and Colossus file into his office. Cyclops and Wolverine had been moved to the Med lab to recover. Rogue had been moved to a holding cell. Xavier pinched the bridge of his nose. He had suspected something like this might happen, but he had hoped no one would end up in the Med lab.

"I'm sure you all have questions," he began, as everyone was seated.

"That, Professor, is an understatement," Jean interrupted. She gripped the sides of her chair tightly. "You knew something that you didn't share with us."

"Jean, I assure you that I did not withhold information unless I thought it necessary to do so. There were simply some things that--"

"My husband is lying on a stretcher!" Jean raged. Ororo stepped forward and put a calming hand on her friend's shoulder. The weather goddess' presence had it's usual soothing effect and Jean took a deep breath. After a moment, she continued, her voice barely under control. "You told us to be on guard tonight, Professor. You knew something like this was going to happen and you let us run into it blind, with nothing but a vague disclaimer to prepare us." She took another deep breath and looked him in the eye. "Do you really value Rogue's privacy over the safety of your own students? Your own _friends_?"

"I most certainly do not, Jean." Xavier straightened up and met her gaze head on. "Let me make one thing absolutely clear. I did not know that Rogue was a danger to anyone here." He held up a hand as Jean started to protest. "I wanted you all to be on guard because I feared Rogue may pose a threat to herself."

Jean stared at him in confusion, her anger deflated. "I don't understand."

Xavier took another deep breath. "Unfortunately, Jean, I still cannot give you the answers you seek. You must trust me when I say all should be made clear shortly."

"Why can't you just tell us now?" Jean asked desperately.

Xavier shook his head. "Jean, you know as well as I do that in order for a therapist to be able to help a patient, trust is crucial. Rogue has serious issues that she has to work through. Tonight something happened. I believe it is Rogue who must tell you what you want to know."

"Well, gee, Wheels, I'd love to," a voice said from the doorway. Everyone whipped around to find Wolverine leaning against the wall. "So if you could just tell me where the fuck you put her, I'll do just that."

"Wolverine, you shouldn't be—" Jean started, but Wolverine cut her off.

"I'm gettin' used to it, Jeannie, I'm fine." He looked at Professor Xavier. "So? Where is she?"

Professor Xavier sighed. This was not going to go over well. He had expected Wolverine to recover quickly, but he had hoped for a little more time. 

"Wolverine, just stay calm," he said carefully.

Wolverine immediately tensed. "What the fuck happened? Is she all right?"

"Rogue's fine, Logan." He paused for a moment. "She is in a holding cell," he finished calmly.

Suddenly there was the sound of metal burying itself in wood as Wolverine's claws shot of his flesh and plunged into the wall. Everyone in the room held their breath as Wolverine turned a furious gaze on Professor Xavier.

"Where?" he said quietly, barely suppressed rage vibrating through the single word.

"In the right wing of the basement. Wolverine before you—"

It was too late. Wolverine was off and running towards the basement, his nose sniffing to trail Rogue's scent. Professor Xavier shook his head. Finally, he looked up at Jean, Storm, and Colossus. 

"Well, my X-Men. I think we should have our answers very shortly."

***

Wolverine could barely suppress his rage as he followed Rogue's scent into one of the holding cells. How dare they_,_ he thought angrily. How dare they lock her up like an animal. Rogue didn't mean to hurt anyone. She was as much a victim of her memories as he was. He couldn't count the number of times he'd woken up in the middle of the night, his claws extended, roaring loud enough to wake the dead. God forbid he had ever brought company home with him, but he knew if he had it could just as easily have been him in Rogue's place. Yet never would anyone have dared to suggest that he be locked up for his moments of terrified abandon. Never would they have put him in a "holding cell" because he lost control. As far as Wolverine was concerned, it was their own fault they got hurt for barging in on her. He growled to himself. He'd seen Cyclops in the Med bay next to him. He didn't know what the hell had happened to him, but judging from what they'd done to Rogue, the asshole had probably tried to grab her or something. He snorted. He just wished Cyclops had tried touching him when he was in the middle of a nightmare. Cyclops shish kabob.

Finally, Wolverine reached the room Rogue was in. Bursting through the door, he looked around for the woman he considered to have been so unjustly imprisoned. Then he saw it. In the far corner of the room there was a pale pink glow. Walking towards it, Wolverine realized it was a force field. Inside, he could see Rogue curled into a fetal position, her dark hair hanging over her arms with the white streak reflecting the pale pink light. Sniffing the air, he could smell the salty scent of tears. He grit his teeth and shook his head as he walked over to her.

"Hang on, darlin'," he said grimly, moving to turn off the power. "I'm gettin' you out of there."

Just as he reached out to shut down the force field, Rogue's head shot up.

"NOOO!" she screamed in terror. "Don't open it! You can't open it!"

Wolverine jumped back, startled at her outburst. Looking over at her, he saw that Rogue's eyes were wild and under the pressure of his gaze, she seemed to try and push herself farther away from him. The tears he had smelled flowed faster down her cheeks as she watched him freeze with his hand on the button. Slowly, Wolverine withdrew his hand. As if released from a spell, Rogue broke eye contact, looking away and burying her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook as she tried to muffle her sobs.

"Hey," Wolverine said softly. "Darlin', what's wrong?"

"It's all mah fault," Rogue whispered. "Ah deserve to be in here."

Wolverine frowned and knelt down on the floor beside the force field. 

"Don't say that. We've all lost control of our powers as some time or another. You didn't mean to hurt anyone."

Rogue shook her head, miserably. "You don't understand."

"I understand that you had a nightmare and your powers got out of control. Darlin', the same damn thing's happened to me, I know how you feel."

Those words seemed to strike something in her, and Rogue sobbed harder.

"Oh, Logan, Ah'm so sorry. It's all mah fault, Ah didn't mean it. Ah'm so sorry."

Bewildered, Wolverine shook his head. "I told you, you have nothing to be sorry for. I'm fine, see?"

Rogue sobbed and shook her head vehemently. "No. No, you're not." She raised her eyes to look at him. "Ah've taken so much from you."

Wolverine felt a sense of dread settle in his stomach. Something seemed to click in his mind as he took in her bedraggled figure.

"You absorbed more of my nightmares," he said quietly. He took a deep breath. "Shit." 

He sat down heavily, his head hanging down. Images of hundreds of needles piercing his skin as molten hot adamantium poured into his skeleton ran through his mind. As if it wasn't bad enough Rogue had her own nightmares to deal with, now she had his as well. Could he ever get close to someone without hurting them? His ears barely registered the noise as Rogue started sobbing harder.

"No, you don't understand! It's all mah fault! All of it!" She balled her hands into fists. "It's mah fault you can't remember."

That did it. Utterly confused, Wolverine just waited for her to continue.

Rogue took a deep breath. "Ah was thirteen years old," she started, her sentences broken and shaky. "Mah daddy . . . he was beating me. Ah didn't know what Ah was back then. Ah didn't understand what happened." Her eyes got a faraway look in them as she allowed memories to come back for the first time in fifteen years. 

"Mah powers kicked in. All of a sudden, he was in mah head. He was so angry. All his anger and pain flowed into me and Ah didn't know what was happening." Her breathing caught for a moment and she shook her head. "Ah ran away. Hitchhiked up to Canada." She looked over at Wolverine. "Ah just wanted to die," she insisted miserably. "Ah didn't want the memories Ah had in mah head anymore." Unable to look at him, she let her eyes fall to her hands. "Ah passed out on the side of the road. Ah thought Ah was dying." She closed her eyes. "Then all of a sudden, Ah woke up." She sobbed. "You were leanin' over me. Givin' me mouth to mouth." She looked up at him, her eyes wild. "It happened again."

Wolverine's face was impassive as he listened. "The spot in Canada I took you to. You said you were attacked there."

Rogue shook her head miserably. "Those were your memories. Ah was remembering being attacked by me."

Realization began to dawn on Wolverine, horrible in its intensity. He looked away. "When the X-Men found me?"

Tears flowed down Rogue's face. "Ah heard them coming. Ah didn't know what had happened, Ah didn't know who Ah was. Ah ran." She took a deep breath. "Ah started livin' your life, cage fightin' and all. Ah pushed mah own memories out of mah head. Then Mojo caught me. You know the rest."

Wolverine stood up slowly. "All this time I thought the government wiped my mind clean. Left me with no memories of my childhood or anyone I might have loved. But all this time . . . it was you."

Rogue nodded, tears soaking her face as she closed her eyes.

Wolverine turned around, facing the door. Holding still, he turned slightly. "My powers?"

Rogue looked up at himhesitantly and nodded slowly. "Ah heal fast. An Ah got your senses." She turned away. "Ah don't remember if Ah got your cl—"

Suddenly, she was cut off as Wolverine roared and released his claws, lunging for the force field. Rogue screamed and scrambled back, watching as they bounced harmlessly off the force field. Straightening up, Wolverine turned around and left the room, this time never looking back. As she watched him leave, Rogue felt a little part of her die inside. Curling up on the floor, she let the tears flow.

***

Xavier winced as the door to his office was thrown open. He had dismissed Jean, Storm and Colossus, anticipating Wolverine would . . . wish to speak with him.

"You fucking knew." 

Xavier sighed and looked up to face the riled Canadian. 

"That bullshit "mission" to Alkali Lake," Wolverine continued furiously. "You knew Rogue was remembering my memories and you didn't say a goddamn thing!" Wolverine snarled. "You knew that's why I looked so fucking familiar to her!"

"Wolverine if you will kindly remain calm and let me explain." 

Fuming, Wolverine refused to sit down, but did remain silent.

"I am going to say this quickly and concisely because I realize you need some time to think about all this. I do not know exactly what happened. I merely have suspicions. Rogue's initial reaction to you coupled with her peculiar powers and combined with the fact that you and she hit it off so well so quickly served to make me believe you had had contact in the past. Rogue absorbs memories, you lack memories. I do not think it was a stretch of the imagination to put the two together." He took a deep breath. "I trust Rogue told you what happened?"

Wolverine nodded stiffly.

"And how do you feel?"

"Like the other day wasn't the first time she fucked me."

Xavier raised his eyebrows. "Wolverine, do you believe Rogue absorbed you intentionally, all those years ago? That it was malicious?"

Wolverine turned away. "What the fuck does that matter? What's done is done."

Xavier chose his next words carefully. "Is it possible, Wolverine, that perhaps the reason you feel so betrayed is because . . . you have started to care for Rogue?"

Wolverine went deathly still. Turning to face Xavier, very slowly, he met his gaze for a split second. Without a word, he spun around and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Xavier sighed and shook his head, leaning back in his chair. After a few moments, he wheeled himself out of the room and headed for Rogue's containment cell.

***

Rogue was sitting in her cell when the Professor entered. She didn't even raise her head as he approached the force field. 

"Hello, Rogue."

Rogue didn't answer, staring sullenly at the floor.

Xavier sighed. "Rogue, I am going to shut down the force field. Do you still have Cyclops' power?"

Rogue shook her head slowly. Reaching out, Xavier shut down the force field. Rogue watched as the pink faded away. Like a wild animal after years of captivity, she didn't even move.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

Rogue swallowed hard. "No. But Ah guess Ah owe it to you."

Xavier smiled. "I believe you owe it to yourself, my dear."

Nodding, Rogue took a deep breath. Stumbling every so often, she told Professor Xavier all about her father. She told him about the beatings, about her powers coming to life, and about the coma her father had fallen into. When she related the part about absorbing Wolverine, Rogue wasn't surprised when Xavier just nodded. She'd figured out by now that the reason he had cut short her session was because he knew she was remembering Wolverine's memories. He had probably known that it was only a matter of time before her own memories would resurface. Frowning, a thought occurred to Rogue.

"Professor, may Ah ask you a question?"

"Of course."

Rogue turned to look at him. "Why did Ah remember Wolverine's memories before mine?"

Xavier nodded. "That is a good question, Rogue. I believe it has largely to do with the pain you experience when you think of your own memories. It is not unusual for someone to suppress painful memories." He smiled. "Your powers merely offer you another option."

"But the memories Ah absorbed from Wolverine were horrible too," Rogue pointed out.

"That may be so, Rogue, but they weren't all like that. The memories you described to me in our session were quite nice. Not to mention, it is much easier to deal with memories that some part of your mind realizes are not yours, than to deal with those that are." He thought for a moment. "As a matter of fact, I believe that is why Mojo kept your powers on all the time. He wasn't worried about you escaping because he knew you relied on other's memories to avoid your own. In a way, it was a symbiotic relationship."

Rogue rubbed her face with her hands. "Ah don't want to need a relationship like that anymore, Professor. What can Ah do?"

"I do have an idea, Rogue. But it will not be easy."

Rogue shook her head. "Ah have a lot to make up for, Professor. Ah'll do anything."


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Forgiveness  
  
Author: Jenny11  
  
Disclaimer: Characters and some lines are property of Marvel. Not me.  
  
Archive Rights: I'm flattered, just ask.  
  
Feedback: I'll love you forever. Could also mean advance snippets between long updates.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Notes: Alternate Universe. Elements of comics, cartoon, and movies. *** **I updated the previous chapter so it wasn't so rushed. Let me know what you think!!!! *****

Loki*-*TheGrimScreamer - No, Wolverine is not her father. You're welcome.

immortalatk - Reviews are not stupid. I appreciate them all!

Lesley - I hope the new version is better!

lurking-in-the-shadows - Sorry so long between updates. Exam week . . .

Roguechere - I love it when people quote lines they like. I was happy with that one too.

Gimpy1 - Now you know.

Arctic Wolf2 - Sorry it took so long!

anonymous() - Well, the story's done! No more anticipation. Until my next story . . .  


The Mississippi sun greeted her as she stepped off the train. A breeze that carried the promise of wildflowers wafted around her, lifting her hair up off her neck. As she looked around her Rogue almost smiled. She'd forgotten how beautiful her birthplace was. Still, watching all the people milling around her, a part of Rogue waited tensely for someone to recognize her. Even though she wore sunglasses and had her trademark hair swept up into a scarf, the fear still gripped her and she was sure that any minute now someone would scream "mutant" and the peaceful scene would erupt in chaos. The last time she had been in this town, she had escaped with her skin. She didn't fancy the odds of it happening again.

Pushing all of her doubts from her mind, Rogue took a deep breath and remembered what the Professor had taught her. He'd worked with her for a solid month, talking about her memories, training her in relaxation techniques, and preparing her for the barrage of emotions she was likely to experience. He had offered to keep the therapy going for another month, but Rogue declined. For the first time in her life, she was ready to face the past that had left her running for cover in the memories of others. It was time she made peace with it. She took another deep breath as she shuddered. No amount of training could have made this easy.

Stepping off of the train, Rogue slung the small bag she was carrying over her shoulder and set out to find a taxi. At first, the crowds made her a little nervous. Apparently, she couldn't exactly control her mutation. She and Xavier had talked extensively about it. When Rogue had told him about the night she and Wolverine had been able to touch, it had stumped him at first. Finally, after much debate and consideration, they had decided that it had been Wolverine's persona flaring up that had made it possible. The Wolverine in Rogue had responded in kind to the Wolverine she was fighting. In a way, the animal had taken control. Professor Xavier pointed out that it was possible that the reason Rogue could not control her skin was because for the past fifteen years, she had relied on it to keep her own memories at bay. When the "animal" took over, it had no thoughts about skin or danger. Its focus was limited to that which it needed then and there. Rogue sighed. Her life just never seemed to get any less confusing. 

As she got into the cab, Rogue rubbed her arm where the body stocking covered her skin. It was so thin and so sheer, if you didn't know it was there you would never see it. She told the taxi driver the address and leaned back as the cab pulled away. 

The whole ride there, Rogue's nerves were in knots. She rubbed her gloves together in anticipation and her heart leapt as the hospital came into view. She hardly registered paying the cab driver or walking into the building. As she got to the nurse's station, the nurse at the desk smiled up at her.

"May I help you?"

Rogue's mouth moved, but no sound came out. Clearing her throat she tried again.

"Robert D'Ancanto's room, please?"

The nurse nodded and began typing into her computer. As she read the information on the screen, a frown appeared on her face. Looking at Rogue over the top of her glasses, she fixed her with a firm and suspicious look.

"May I ask how you know Mr. D'Ancanto?"

Rogue felt like she'd swallowed a boulder. She stared at the nurse, her mind racing to come up with an answer. 

"Ah'm . . . Ah'm from the United Baptist Church. There was a woman in a prayer meetin' yesterday and she told us Mr. D'Ancanto's story. A horrible thing that happened to him."

The nurse nodded slowly. "Yes, it was."

Rogue forced herself to continue. "Ah'm the woman's mentor. Ah promised her Ah would visit Mr. D'Ancanto and offer mah prayers."

The nurse looked her over and leaned in. Rogue subconsciously leaned in as well, the age-old position of gossip. 

"The woman who was at the meeting. Did she have two white stripes through her hair?"

Rogue struggled to keep her reaction from her face. "Why, yes. Yes, Ah believe she did."

Suddenly, the nurse seemed to be only too happy to be rid of her. "He's in room 555, Miss . . .?"

"Logan," Rogue said automatically.

The nurse nodded. "Miss. Logan." 

Turning, away from Rogue, the woman began to dial the phone. Rogue smirked when she realized that the nurse was probably calling the church to warn them about the mutant in their midst. Shaking her head, she walked down the hallway and took the elevator up to the fifth floor. As she approached room 555, Rogue took a deep breath and opened the door. Stone faced, she looked at the man lying in the hospital bed. He was so much older than she remembered. He had been a big man in his thirties when she'd left. Now, his body had shriveled in on itself, his face slack in his comatose state. A monitor beeped quietly by his side, the lines showing just enough activity to show he was alive. Barely.

Rogue silently walked over and sat on a chair next to his bed. Forcing herself to look at his face, she took a deep breath and began.

"Hi, daddy. It's me, Marie." Tears sprung to her eyes at the sound of her birth name. Blinking rapidly, she continued. "Ah've come to get mah peace, daddy. Ah've been runnin' for a long time, and it's time to stop." Her voice caught. She stopped and stared at him for a few seconds. His face seemed to de-age in her mind, becoming that of the father she had known. The tears stung and she finally spoke again. 

"Ah hate you," she whispered. "Ah hate you so much. You were always mean to me, daddy. You beat me so bad Ah couldn't have any friends because Ah couldn't explain the bruises. You beat me so often, Ah didn't know how to make you happy so Ah spent all mah time hidin'! I hate you for that daddy." The tears flowed freely down her face now. "But most of all, Ah hate you for puttin' all that evil in mah head."

She leaned down bringing her mouth right next to his ear. "Do you want to know why you're in here, daddy? Why you'll never wake up and you don't have enough mind to dream? It's me, daddy. Ah'm a mutant. When you beat me that last time, you opened the gates of Hell. Ah took all of it, daddy. Ah took your hatred towards me. The blame you put on me for mama's death. The anger you felt when you looked at me and realized that if mama had never given birth, she'd still be alive." A sob broke her words, and Rogue took another deep breath.

"Do you know what it was like, daddy," she said, her voice trembling and uneven. "To have a mind full of thoughts that hate you? Ah ran, daddy. Ah ran and Ah hurt a lot of people, tryin' to undo the damage you did." She leaned back, wiping her eyes. After a few moments, she looked down again at the man in the bed.

"But Ah'm done runnin' now, daddy. Ah'm done runnin' and Ah'm done tryin' to solve mah problems like you did – by hurtin' others." She stood up shakily. Standing over him, she tried to search her heart for some compassion, but came up with none. "Ah don't think Ah'll ever forgive you, daddy." She took a calming breath. "But Ah don't have room in mah heart or mah mind for hatred Ah can't use. So Ah'm gonna let it go. Ah haven't forgiven you, daddy. Ah just don't have enough emotion left for you to care." Walking over to the door, Rogue paused before she left.

"Ah'm not your daughter, Robert D'Ancanto. Not anymore."

With that, Rogue turned and left the room, the tears streaming down her face. She took the other stairs to avoid running into the same nurse and exited the hospital through a side door. As she left the building, Rogue broke into a run. The sun tried to warm her as she practically flew to the small park beside the hospital. Running through the trees, Rogue finally collapsed on a small bench beside a lake. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she buried her head and let the tears flow. The past fifteen years, broke over her in wave after wave and Rogue cried for it all. She cried out her hatred and her shame. She cried out her pain and her loss. She cried until she had no more energy left to continue. As her body finally began to relax, Rogue's hearing picked up a tiny sound. Turning her head, Rogue sniffed the air. To exhausted to react, she closed her eyes.

Wolverine's face was unreadable and he sat down on the bench beside Rogue. For a long time, neither of them spoke. Finally, Wolverine turned to her.

"Are you all right?"

The tears threatened to fall again as Rogue held back a sob. That Wolverine could still care enough to even ask how she was reminded her how undeserving he had been for what she'd done.

"Ah will be," she said finally. Lifting her head, she looked at him, not bothering to hide her tears. Wolverine deserved to see her vulnerable side, as she had seen his.

Wolverine nodded and turned to face the lake. Another few minutes passed with neither of them saying a word.

"Ah'm sorry, Wolverine."

Wolverine nodded. "I know."

Rogue nodded. "Professor Xavier told you where Ah was?"

"Yeah." Wolverine took a deep breath and turned to her. "I didn't come here to make small talk with you, Rogue."

Rogue felt her stomach lurch and looked away. "Ah know."

Wolverine shook his head. "No, you don't. You may have my life in your head, but you're missing the past fifteen years." He sighed. "And what's more, you're missing the past few months." Rogue turned to look at him and Wolverine met her gaze head on. "Look, I know you didn't mean to do what you did. I've done a lot of shit in the past and I'm not going to judge you." His voice got serious. "What you did today took a lot of guts. If you hadn't gone through with it, I might not even be here. But if you can forgive that bastard for what he did to you, I can forgive you for what you did to me."

Rogue shook her head. "Ah don't forgive him," she said quietly. 

Wolverine tilted his head. "Do you care about him?"

Rogue shook her head again. "No."

Wolverine nodded and turned away. "I guess that's what makes the difference then."

Rogue's eyes widened in surprise. "You . . . care about me then."

Wolverine nodded. "Yeah."

Rogue followed his gaze to the lake. "Ah care about you too."

Wolverine nodded. "Good to know." He thought about it for a moment. "I'm not into all the mushy stuff, though. I'm not sayin' I want to get married or anything."

Rogue laughed a little, making Wolverine smile. She nodded. "Yeah. Ah'm not into that stuff either."

Wolverine nodded. "That's good." He stretched out an arm around her shoulders, looking at her in surprise as he felt her bodysuit. "Hmmm. Pretty sheer, huh?"

Rogue nodded, hiding her amusement. "Uh huh."

Wolverine pondered that for a bit. "Probably feels like nothin', huh?"

Rogue nodded again, a smile forming on her face. As Wolverine continued his examination of her body suit, Rogue felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Wolverine cared about her and she cared about him. Maybe someday she would know what it felt like to be in love. Until then, Rogue was content. She didn't need his love right away. She had his forgiveness.

So, what do you think? Good ending? Any questions? Complaints?


End file.
